Class Holothuroidea

Apostichopus californicus  (Stimpson, 1857)
Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea, Order Synallactida, Family Stichopodidae  

Large sea cucumber, 25-40 cm; dorsal surface mottled red, orange, brownish yellow, with conical fleshy spines; tube feet concentrated on functionally ventral surface.

Common, on rocks and sand. In Monterey, more prevalent at deeper depths with low water motion. Feeds on organic detritus using short tufted oral tentacles.

Geogr. Range: British Columbia to Baja
Synonyms:
Similar species: Apostichopus parvimensis has numerous papillae tipped with black interspersed with larger conical spines on dorsal surface.

Apostichopus parvimensis  (Clark, 1913)
Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea, Order Synallactida, Family Stichopodidae

Large sea cucumber 25-30 cm; orange-brown with numerous small black-tipped papillae interspersed with large fleshy conical spines.  Tube feet concentrated on ventral surface.

Common on rocks at kelp forest depths in Monterey region. Feeds on organic detritus.

Geogr. Range: central California to Baja
Synonyms:
Similar species: Apostichopus californicus is redder and lacks black-tipped papillae on dorsal surface.

Image: Reginella hippocrepis (across top), Diplosoma (upper rt.), Ritterella (cntr. bottom), Lagenicella (middle left), Phidolopora (left of center)

Cucumaria miniata  (Brandt, 1835)
Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea, Order Dendrochirotida, Family Cucumariidae

Bright orange sea cucumber, 10-25 cm long. Tube feet in distinct rows down length of body; ten highly branched tentacles form crown 5-8 cm across around mouth.

Common & conspicuous, usually nestled in crevices with only tentacles visible.  

Geogr. Range: Alaska to central California
Synonyms:
Similar species: Cucumaria piperata and Pseudocnus are white, with or without black speckling.

Image: Phidolopora (far left), Celleporina (lower left), Diplosoma (left of cntr), Celleporella sp. (top cntr.)

Cucumaria piperata  (Stimpson, 1864)
Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea, Order Dendrochirotida, Family Cucumariidae

White or cream sea cucumber with black speckles, to 10 cm long (often less in Monterey). Retractile tube feet in 5 double rows down length of body.  Ten equal-size tentacles surround mouth.

Moderately common but inconspicuous, usually nestled in crevices or under algae on rocky substrate, shallow subtidal.  

Geogr. Range: Queen Charlotte Is. to Baja
Synonyms:
Similar species: Cucumaria miniata is larger and bright orange;  Pseudocnus lubricus is white with tube feet scattered more randomly along body and with sparser speckling. Small white sea cucumbers are  difficult to distinguish in the field & often require microscopic examination of skin ossicles.

Pseudocnus lubricus  (H.L. Clark, 1901)
Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea, Order Dendrochirotida, Family Cucumariidae

Length to 5 cm; white or cream either plain or with small dark speckles on dorsum; tube feet retractile & scattered across dorsum. Ten tentacles of equal size surround mouth.

Common, often in aggregations on rocky substrate.

Geogr. Range: Alaska to central California.
Synonyms: Cucumaria lubrica
Similar species: small white sea cucumbers are difficult to distinguish in the field; requires microscopic examination of skin ossicles. Eupentacta quinquesemita has tube feet that are arranged in rows & not retractile; it has 10 unequal tentacles (8 large, 2 much smaller). Two spp. of Pentamera in Monterey region are similar to P. lubricus but both are rare, have non-retractile tube feet and 10 unequal oral tentacles (2 small, 8 large).

Eupentacta quinquesemita  (Selenka, 1867)
Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea, Order Dendrochirotida, Family Sclerodactylidae

Length 5-10 cm; 5 rows (~4 podia wide) of non-retractile tube feet, white with 10 white tentacles (8 large & 2 small) around mouth; body stiff due to abundance of skin ossicles.

Common in rocky habitats; suspension feeder.

Geogr. Range: Sitka Alaska to Baja
Synonyms:
Similar species: 2 species of Pentamera (P.charlottae & P.montereyensis) and E. quinquesemita are difficult to distinguish in the field; requires microscopic examination of skin ossicles, but Pentamera spp. are rare in Monterey region.

Image: Pandalas danae (bottom left)

Psolus chitonoides  Clark, 1901
Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea, Order Dendrochirotida, Family Psolidae

Body a domed chiton-shape but usually obscured in the field by algae, etc; to 7 cm long & covered with orange scale-like calcareous plates. Tentacle plume is usually all that's visible, with 10 equal-size highly-branched tentacles, bright red with white tips; tube feet only on underside (inset) & neck of tentacle crown.

Moderately common on rocks, but cryptic & camouflaged until illuminated with a light; suspension feeder.

Geogr. Range: Aleutian Islands to Baja
Synonyms:
Similar species:  tentacle crown of Cucumaria miniata is larger with orange rather than red tentacles.