First record of the sea cucumber Holothuria (Selenkothuria) erinaceus Semper, 1868 (Holothuroidea: Holothuriida: Holothuriidae) from a Japanese mangrove forest

Abstract

The tropical epibenthic holothurian Holothuria (Selenkothuria) erinaceus Semper, 1868 is reported for the first time; a single specimen has been collected from a subtropical mangrove forest on Ishigaki Island, Yaeyama Islands, southern Japan. The external/internal morphological features, including a calcareous ring and ossicles, are described and compared with literature descriptions of congeners. Holothuria (Selenkothuria) erinaceus Semper, 1868 has previously been recognized as a tropical species, distributed widely in the tropical Indian and West Pacific Oceans, including the Philippines and Fiji. Not only is the Ishigaki Island record the northernmost for the species, but also the collection site is the first recorded instance of an epibenthic sea cucumber inhabiting in a mangrove forest habitat.