Mucus as a mediator of gametogenic synchrony in the sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa (Holothuroidea: Echinodermata)

The data presented here demonstrate that the sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa secretes a biologically active mucus that helps maintain gametogenic synchrony among conspecifics. Either a whole mature individual or a sample of its freshly collected mucus was able to initiate gametogenesis in conspecifics that were in the gametogenic recovery stage when other environmental conditions, including daylength, were maintained constant. Similar results were obtained when the mucus was kept in seawater for less than 3 h prior to its use, whereas after 6 h in seawater, the mucus had lost its inducing properties. Laboratory experiments showed that the mucus was produced in lesser amount during late summer and autumn; the production rapidly increased in early January to reach a peak a few months before the June spawning, in 1992 and 1993. The increment of mucus production was concurrent with the initiation of gametogenesis. Synthesis of mucus was maximal in individuals having attained gametogenic maturity and minimum in individuals with less developed gonads. At first relatively stable in seawater, the mucus gradually lost its integrity within a period of 3–5 h, suggesting that the mucus may be carried over long distances by currents, thus allowing a transfer of information before its complete degradation. This phenomenon was observed in the field where streams of mucus could be followed by SCUBA divers as far as 20–30 m away from the secreting animal. The data presented here are the first evidence of the important role played by mucus secretion during the gametogenic processes of an echinoderm.