What does pedicellaria mean?
noun, plural ped·i·cel·lar·i·ae [ped-uh-suh-lair-ee-ee]. Zoology. one of the minute pincerlike structures common to starfish and sea urchins, used for cleaning and to capture tiny prey.
What is the function of pedicellaria?
Pedicellariae attach and articulate to small granules on the surface of the test. In life the pedicellariae are in constant motion. The valves that form the head can open and close and the primary function of the pedicellariae is to keep the surface of the test free of debris and small parasites.
What is a pedicellaria in a sea star?
Pedicellariae are minute grasping organs found only in sea urchins and starfishes of the phylum Echinodermata. The pedicellariae are basically made of calcareous ossicles and in most cases operate either like a pair of scissors or a pair of forceps.
What do tube feet do?
Tube feet enable the starfish to grasp and manipulate prey, to move, and to cling to rocks and other hard surfaces as it creeps along.
What is Pentaradial?
Pentaradial symmetry is a type of radial symmetry, which is a characteristic of echinoderms, in which body parts are arranged along five rays of symmetry. It means the organism is in five parts around a central axis.
What is madreporite in biology?
Definition of madreporite : a perforated or porous body that is situated at the distal end of the stone canal in echinoderms.
What does madreporite mean?
What are pedicellariae made of?
Pedicellariae (singular pedicellaria) is a blanket term that is used to describe a panoply of tiny claw, clamp, wrench or beak shaped structures that are present on the external surface of starfish and sea urchins.
Are pedicellariae spines?
The pedicellariae found on sea stars and sea urchins. Pedicellariae are modified spines that have a pincer-like structure at one end, as shown in this drawing. They may be used for self-defense against predators.
What do sea stars use their tube feet for?
If you’ve ever picked up a sea star and turned it over, you probably noticed the hundreds of tube “feet” lining its arms. It is these suction-bottomed tubes that the sea star uses to move about. It draws in water and channels it to canals that run throughout its body, usually ending in the tube feet.
How do tube feet help respiration?
The job of getting oxygen into the body and removing waste gases such as carbon dioxide, is carried out by the tube-feet.