More Specific ID of a Sea Cucumber Requested

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archiebald

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I managed to get this rather nice shot of my daughter examining this multicolored sea cucumber at Finger Reef in Apra Harbor, Guam last week.

Can anyone offer a suggestion for the common or scientific name of this type. Saw many of the more common black type of course, and a lesser number of these.

Thanks in advance.
 

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I think that is Bohadschia graeffei, the Blackspotted Sea Cucumber.

-Mark
 
nice pic....thanks for sharing.
 
Although a number of sea cucumbers can be ID'ed by their morphology and pattern, some require examination of the calcium carbonate spicules embedded in their skin to be certain. I can't say anything about this specific one, but I have two unidentified sea cucumbers right here in SoCal waters that will require a spicule sample for positive ID.
 
There are many cucumbers out there that I would not attempt to identify. But this is one of the common ones, regularly seen on the kind of reefs scuba divers like in the South Pacific. And I haven't heard it to be part of a complex of look-alike species. But as an amateur, working from a photo, no I'm not certain of the ID.

-Mark
 
Thanks for the replies, I honestly had no idea there were so many variations.
 

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