Hawaii sea cucumbers

hawaiisfishes.com

Some interesting sea cucumbers not in Hawaii's Sea Creatures

Many of Hawaii's sea cucumbers are poorly-known and some are undescribed. Dr. Gustav Paulay and Cory Pittman are currently studying Hawaii's lesser-known sea cucumbers.

HAWAIIAN BOHADSCHIA
Bohadschia sp.
This cucumber appears to be an undescribed Hawaiian species of Bohadschia. The animal was buried in sand up to its anus at about 45 ft. off Makua, O`ahu, in July 2006. It was collected, preserved, and sent to Dr. Gustav Paulay. It is the first I have ever seen in hundreds of dives in Hawai`i. It's a large animal, maybe 14 in. long. There must be more of them somewhere. The bottom photo shows it as it appeared before I dug it up. Someone said that they are found off the Pali on Maui. If anyone sees one, please email me at jhoover@hawaiisfishes.com

On Oct 1,0 2006 we found another at 70 ft. off Tracks Beach Park (below). It was on top of the sand, not buried. Two days later it was still there and still on top of the sand. In fact, it was rolling around slightly in the surge, which made me wonder if perhaps it was not in good health. Photo by Crissy Huffard.

Holothuria hawaiiensis Fisher, 1907
family Holothuriidae
photo: Cory Pittman, Kapalua Bay, Maui

Holothuria lineata
family Holothuriidae
photo: Hekili Point, Maui. depth 1 ft.

Holothuria fuscorubra Theel, 1886
family Holothuriidae
photo: Maliko Bay, Maui. depth 10 ft.

Holothuria flavomaculata
family Holothuriidae
This cucumber anchors the rear portion of its body in a crevice and extends the front part forward to feed. It quickly retracts when sensing danger. Even if caught before it retracts, it is almost impossible to remove from the crevice. The body will tear before it lets go. However, I have also found them loose under stones and rubble. The species is uncommon in Hawai`i. In 1997 I sent tissue from the specimen pictured to Dr. Dave Pawson of the Smithsonian Institution, who kindly examined the spicules and made the identification. It was the first record for this species in Hawai`i. Photo: Mäkaha, O`ahu. 15 ft.

Chiridota sp.
family Synaptidae
These tiny cucumbers live just under the sand in shallow water.. Fully expanded, they are about 3 in. long. Two species of Chiridota have been recorded from Hawai`i: C. rigida and C. hawaiiensis. The photo was taken somewhere on O`ahu.

Holothuria rigida (Selenka, 1867)
family Holothuriidae
This is a small, firm species that collects sand on its upper surface like H. atra and H. whitmaei. Unlike those species, it conceals itself under rocks during the day and is cream with isolated brown papillae if you rub off the sand. This one was 13.5 cm in length. It was found in tide pools at Napili Bay, west Maui. Photo and notes by Cory Pittman.