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Parastichopus californicus
Common name(s): California Sea Cucumber, Giant Red Cucumber
Description:
They range in color from red to dark brown with orange-colored "fleshy pointed projections" (Kozloff, 2001) covering their dorsal side. A ring of twenty branch-like feeding tentacles surround the mouth located at the anterior end of the organism. On its ventral surface, Parastichopus californicus has hydraulically-powered tube feet that assist in locomotion.
Size:
Can vary from 30 to 50 cm. P. californicus is the largest sea cucumber on the West Coast.
Range:
Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. Found in open coast of Vancouver Island, Washington and Oregon. P. californicus is the most common species found in area.
Habitat:
Low intertidal up to 249 m. Parastichopus californicus is commonly found in mud and organic sediment, or attached to floating pillars. Although it is uncommon to find any specimens on the Evergreen Beach, they can be found occaisonally and are often sighted along the docks at Boston Harbor. They prefer quieter waters, but can also be found in high-energy environments.
Misidentification:
Parastichopus californicus can be confused with P. leukothele, but P. leukothele has prominent brown patches along its body and its papillae are white. It also lives at much greater depths than P. californicus.
Life History:
Parastichopus californicus, like most holothuroideans, feeds as it travels by ingesting sand from the ocean floor and extracting all the valuable organic matter. They can travel up to 3.9 m a day. From September to early March Parastichopus californicus goes through a dormant period where it ceases feeding all together. Most specimens collected during this time period do not have internal organs. Some research suggests they resorb the organs during this dormant period and then regenerate them in the winter (Fankboner & Cameron, 1985 as cited by Lambert, 1997). They then migrate to shallow water from late April to August (depending upon location) to spawn. Fertilization occurs in open waters and the larvae are free swimming for 35 - 52 days before settling to the bottom.
Predators:
Pycnopodia helionthoides (Sunflower star), Solaster endeca, and occasionally sea otters and man will eat P. californicus.
Interesting Behavior:
When threatened, Parastichopus californicus will eject its internal organs to distract any potential predators. Also, unique to this species, is the ability to "melt" and become completely limp when removed from water, even going so far as disintegrating entirely. If this process is not too far underway the organism can reverse it and recover completely.
Additional Resources:
Kozloff, Eugene N. (2000). Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast. University of Washington Press: Seattle and London.
Lambert, P. (1997). Sea Cucumbers of British Columbia, Southeast Alaska and Puget Sound. UBC Press, Vancouver, 137 pages.
Introduction to the Echinodermata
Last updated Wednesday, August 23, 2006, by Lisa Ferrier
