Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) on Singapore shores: photo index

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Phylum Echinodermata > Class Holothuroidea

Photo index of sea cucumbers on Singapore shores
short sea cucumbers <10cm

size given is for sea cucumber's length when relaxed

Tiny red sea cucumbers Family Cucumariidae	Little African sea cucumber Afrocucumis africana		Sponge synaptid sea cucumbers Family Synaptidae
1cm or shorter. Usually in groups of many individuals, sometimes thickly carpeting a few square metres. Coral rubble areas. Common at Chek Jawa and Tuas.	3-8cm. Body angular with short tube feet in rows used to cling to stone as well as to hold debris over its body. Plain purple with long tube feet. Under stones. Sometimes seen on some of our shores.		5-10cm. Long, thin and orm-like. Usually draped in groups on sponges and ascidians. Purple, pink, maroon, white, grey. Often seen on our Northern shores.
Thorny sea cucumber Colochirus quandrangularis	Pink warty sea cucumber Cercodemas anceps	Orange sea cucumber Family Cucumariidae	Purple sea cucumber awaiting identification
6-10cm. Body angular with distinct upper and underside. Soft thorny projections on upper side, rows of red tube feet on the underside. Red, pink sometimes with tinges of green or grey. In seagrass areas. Commonly seen on our Northern shores.	6-8cm. Body angular with distinct upper and underside. Pink warty bumps on a yellow body, rows of small tube feet on underside. Sometimes seen together with Thorny sea cucumbers but not in as large numbers. Sometimes seen on our Northern shores.	8-12cm. Body angular with long tube feet in rows along the length. Mostly orange sometimes with blue stripes lacking tube feet. In coral rubble areas. Sometimes seen on some of our Northern shores.	8-10cm. Body angular with long tube feet in rows along the length. Uniformly purple or lilac. In seagrasses, coral rubble. Sometimes seen on our Northern shores.
Beige sea cucumber awaiting identification	Polka-dotted sea cucumber Holothuria ocellata	Smooth red sea cucumber Actinopyga sp.
6-12cm. Body angular with tube feet in rows along the length. Beige, white pinkish. In seagrasses. Sometimes seen on our Northern shores.	6-8cm long. Body cylindrical but with a flat underside. Dark circles around short pale conical bumps. Pale lilac to white, patterns purplish. In seagrasses. Sometimes seen on Changi.	About 8cm long. Body oval with a smooth skin and scattered slender tube feet. Near living reefs. Seen once on Pulau Semakau.

Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.

These are NOT sea cucumbers