E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Parastichopus leukothele Lambert, 1986
White-Spined Sea Cucumber
Family: Stichopodidae
Extracted from Sea Cucumbers of British Columbia, Southeast Alaska and Puget Sound by Philip Lambert.
Introduction to the Echinoderms of BC
Photo of species

© Neil McDaniel  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #15857)
E-Fauna BC Static Map
Distribution of Parastichopus leukothele in British Columbia
Details about map content are available here.

Species Information


Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this taxon. If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., two subspecies may be illustrated) then links to the separate images will be provided below.
Parastichopus leukothele can measure up to 38 cm long (preserved). The elongate cylindrical body has a blunt anterior end and a tapering tail. Small (less than 1 cm), white papillae are scattered over the dorsal surface: approximately 2 per cm². The skin is rich orange with rusty brown patches around the bases of some papillae. The tube feet are confined to the ventral surface in four bands, each consisting of four rows. Twenty peltate feeding tentacles in two circles surround the mouth. The tube feet are usually white and often tipped with orange.

Skin ossicles: tables and oval perforated plates; tables have mean diameter of 113 μm and 2 to 10 spines at the top of the spire.
Similar Species

Parastichopus leukothele is similar in shape to P. californicus, but different in body colour and in the size of the papillae. P. leukothele has larger table ossicles, but with fewer spines on the spire.

Biology

Etymology

leukothele = white papillae
Biology

Specimens in aquaria exhibit typical feeding behaviour, using their feeding tentacles like mops to pick up bottom sediments. Little is known about their reproduction except that eggs in the ovary are largest in March and April, and smallest from June to September. This suggests that spawning takes place in May. Unlike P. californicus, P. leukothele did not exhibit an escape response when touched by the Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides).

The scale-worm, Arctonoe pulchra, occurs on the external surface; and I have found it in the body cavity of two specimens that had expelled their internal organs. Presumably, the scale-worm was able to enter the cavity through the damaged cloacal opening after auto-evisceration.

Habitat


Most specimens are trawled from soft sediments on the continental shelf. Some have been observed from a submersible on sediment-covered rock ledges. I collected the type specimen at scuba-diving depth (26 m) on a rocky substratum in the Queen Charlotte Islands; but the species is rarely seen this shallow. In the past, this species has probably been lumped together with P. californicus, thus it is difficult to estimate its abundance from the literature. However, in Queen Charlotte Sound a 15-minute haul with a 10-foot otter trawl yielded 14 specimens: so in certain localities it is no doubt common.

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
UnlistedUnlistedUnlistedUnlisted
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Ocean Biogeographic Information System Distribution Map

Additional Photo Sources

Flickr Image Search
Google Image Search
Images from Calphoto

General References

Google Scholar Search
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-04-27 9:56:59 AM]
Disclaimer: The information contained in an E-Fauna BC atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited (with permission) in each section. This information is scientifically based.  E-Fauna BC also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links.  As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information.  E-Fauna BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.

© E-Fauna BC 2021: An initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography, UBC