(3) Echinoidea (Sea-urchins).—Globular or disc-shaped Eleutherozoa, in which the skeleton forms a compact cuirass except for a short distance round the mouth (peristome) and round the anus (periproct). The ambulacral grooves are represented by canals which, like meridians of longitude on a school-globe, run from the neighbourhood of the mouth to near the aboral pole of the body. The spines are large and movably articulated with the plates. The animals move by means of podia and spines, or by means of the latter only. The anus is usually situated at the aboral pole, but is sometimes displaced towards the side, or even on to the ventral surface.

(4) Holothuroidea (Sea-cucumbers).—Sausage-shaped Eleutherozoa, in which the skeleton is represented only by isolated nodules of calcium carbonate, and in which the body-wall is highly muscular. The mouth and anus are situated at opposite ends of the body, and the ambulacral grooves (represented by closed canals) run from near the mouth to the proximity of the anus. Movement is accomplished by means of the podia, aided by worm-like contractions of the body.

CLASS I. ASTEROIDEA[[440]] (Starfish)

The Starfish derive their name from their resemblance in shape to the conventional image of a star. The body consists of broad triangular arms (generally five in number) which coalesce in the centre to form a disc. The skin is soft and semi-transparent, permitting the skeleton to be easily detected; this consists of a mesh-work of rods or plates, leaving between them intervals of soft skin. In a living Starfish it can be seen that many of these soft places are raised up into finger-like outgrowths, which are termed "papulae" or "dermal gills," through the thin walls of which an active interchange of gases with the surrounding water takes place, and the animal obtains in this way the oxygen necessary for its respiration.

Very few and feeble muscle-fibres exist in the body-wall, and the movements of the arms, as a whole, are very slow and limited in range. There is a membranous lip surrounding the mouth, from which five broad grooves run outwards, one on the underside of each arm. These are termed the "ambulacral grooves." Each groove is Λ-shaped, and its sides are stiffened by a series of rod-like ossicles called the "ambulacral ossicles."

The animal progresses by the aid of a large number of translucent tentacles, termed "tube-feet" or "podia," which are attached to the walls of the ambulacral grooves.

Anatomy of a Starfish.—As an introduction to the study of the anatomy not only of Starfish but of Echinodermata as a whole, we select Asterias rubens, the common Starfish of the British coasts, which in many places may be found on the beach near low-water mark.

External Features.—In this species (Fig. 185) the skeleton is a net-work of rod-like plates, leaving wide meshes between them, through which protrude a perfect forest of transparent papulae. From the points of junction of the rods arise short blunt spines surrounded by thick cushions of skin. The surfaces of these cushions are covered with a multitude of whitish specks, which, on closer inspection, are seen to have the form of minute pincers, each consisting of two movable blades crossing each other below and articulated to a basal piece. These peculiar organs are termed "pedicellariae" (Fig. 186), and their function is to keep the animal clean by seizing hold of any minute organisms which would attempt to settle on the soft and delicate skin. When irritated the blades open and then snap together violently, and remain closed for a long time.[[441]] These actions are brought about by appropriate muscles attaching the blades to the basal piece.

Fig. 185.—Asterias rubens, seen from the aboral surface, × 1. mad, Madreporite.