Composition and Distribution of Macrobenthic Invertebrate Fauna 



193 



E* \ new y. / \ \ 



\ \ 



PER SQUARE METER 



NEW \ NEW .- \ \ 



JERSEY WORK/ '« \ NEW / 



\ \ HAMPSHIRE ..' 



CONNECT 



rfASSACHUSET 



EXPLANATION 



□ <0.l - 9.9 

 H 10.0- 49.9 

 ■ 50.0-379.8 



GRAMS 

 PER SQUARE METER 



HOLOTHUROIDEA 



Figure 208 

 Geographic distribution of Holothuroidea: A — number of specimens per square meter 

 of bottom; B — biomass in grams per square meter of bottom. 



the distinction is not always maintained. When the pre- 

 ferred food types are unavailable, echinoids may may 

 revert to other food sources, or in some species, to a 

 different mode of feeding. 



Echinoids in turn are preyed upon by a variety of 

 benthic and nektonic animals. They have been observed 

 in the diet of crabs, starfish, finfish, lobsters, birds, and 



mammals, including man. The quantity utilized for 

 human consumption in recent years has increased with 

 an annual harvest worth several million dollars. 



Coloration of most of our echinoids was rather drab 

 consisting largely of grays, brown, reddish-browns, and 

 brownish-violet. In many species the color was gray or 

 brown with suffusions of white, green, pink, or violet. 



