Abstract
THE secretion of a mucus from the tube-feet of ophiuroids is well known1, although the chemical nature of this substance has not been investigated. In a study of the feeding mechanisms of ophiuroids, I find that Ophiocomina nigra (Abildgaard), a common littoral species widespread in the north-east Atlantic and Mediterranean, in addition to the mucin of the tube-feet, secretes all over the body surface an abundant mucus used in conjunction with a detritus-feeding mechanism. Attempts to find the source of this secretion have revealed two types of mucus glands previously undescribed for the species.
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References
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FONTAINE, A. Secretion of a Highly Sulphated Acid Mucopolysaccharide by the Brittle-star, Ophiocomina nigra . Nature 176, 606–607 (1955). https://doi.org/10.1038/176606b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/176606b0
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