A taxonomic guide to the Echinodermata of the South Atlantic Bight, USA: 1. Sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

Abstract

A summary account is given of the 33 holothurian species known from the South Atlantic Bight, from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, from the shore to a depth of 200 meters. Four of the six known orders of holothurians are represented in the study area. Each species is diagnosed and illustrated; citations of informative literature and brief discussions of distribution and general biology are included. Also included are dichotomous keys to aid in identification to the species level. A new genus is erected to accommodate Pseudocolochirus mysticus Deichmann, 1930. Ocnus pygmaeus (Théel, 1886b) and O. surinamensis (Semper, 1868) are referred to the genus Aslia Rowe, 1970.