California sea cucumber

California sea cucumber

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Holothuroidea
Order: Synallactida
Family: Stichopodidae
Genus: Apostichopus
Species:
A. californicus
Binomial name
Apostichopus californicus
(Stimpson, 1857)
Synonyms
  • Holothuria californica Stimpson, 1857
  • Parastichopus californicus (Stimpson, 1857)
  • Stichopus californicus (Stimpson, 1857)

The California sea cucumber (Apostichopus californicus), also known as the giant California sea cucumber, is a sea cucumber that can be found from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. It is found from the low intertidal zone to a depth of 250 m (820 ft). They are most abundant in areas with moderate current with cobbles, boulders or bedrock. They are artisanally fished.