| DescriptionCucumaria pseudocurata is a small species with a length averaging between 1.5cm and 3cm. Their dorsal side ranges from brownish black to light brown to yellowish gray, while the ventral side varies from brown to white. Five bands of tube feet can be found in single or zig-zag rows, with the three ventral rows being more robust. C. pseudocurata has 8 equal-sized tentacles, and 2 smaller ventral ones. The tips of the tentacles generally have the darkest pigment. Between two of the dorsal tentacles can be found the genital papilla. The skin ossicles of this particular species are typically oval perforated plates.
This small cucumber can be found intertidally among the Mytillus Californianus (mussel beds) on the Western side of the main island. Domain Eukarya The book Sea Cucumbers of British Columbia, Southeast Alaska, and Puget Sound by Phil Lambert is the best source for identification of most of the 45 species of local sea cucumbers. In it he notes that the habitat of Cucumaria pseudocurata in the Juan de Fuca Strait tends to be ” This page has a copy of the reference to this species and others: See also Taxing Problems by Philip Lambert – Now Curator Emeritus of Invertebrates, Royal BC Museum for a description of the difficulty in classification and the need to classify by the skin ossicles.
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