production in echinoderms...steroids with no known endocrine function in insects are released into the water by several species of water beetles to repel predatory fish, and the sea cucumbers (Holothuroideae) produce the holothurinogenins, a group of lanosterol derivatives toxic to nerve tissue. An example of a holothurinogenin (13) is shown here....of sea urchins are regarded as a delicacy in some parts of the world, including parts of Europe, the Mediterranean region, Japan, and Chile. Some tropical holothurians produce a toxin, known as holothurin, which is lethal to many kinds of animals; Pacific islanders kill fish by poisoning waters with holothurian body tissues that release the toxin. Holothurin does not appear to harm human......animals, particularly predatory mollusks. Some holothurians eject from the anus a sticky mass of white threads, known as cuvierian tubules, which may entangle or distract predators; others produce holothurin, a toxin lethal to many would-be predators.
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