Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Holothuria (Platyperona) difficilis Semper, 1868

meón, pepino de mar, Sea cucumber

Depth: intertidal to at least 44 m

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Echinodermata

Class
Holothuroidea

Order
Holothuriida

Family
Holothuriidae

Genus
Holothuria (Platyperona)

Species
difficilis

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Actinopyga bedfordi Deichmann, 1922, Actinopyga difficilis Deichmann et al., 1924, Actinopyga parvula Clark, 1920, Holothuria altimensis Clark, 1921, Holothuria frequentamentis Clark, 1902, Microthele difficilis Semper, 1868, Muelleria lubrica Sluiter, 1894, Mulleria lubrica Sluiter, 1894, fide Appeltans et al. (2011)

Origin: Native

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Islas Espiritu Santo, Gulf of California, Panama, Revillagigedos, Clipperton, Cocos and Ecuador (Galapagos Islands)

References

  • Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
  • Edgar, G.J. Fariña, J.M., Calvopiña, M., Martínez, C. & Banks, S. (2002) Comunidades submareales rocosas II: Peces y macroinvertebrados móviles. In: Danulat, E. & Edgar, G.J. (eds.) (2002): Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea Base de la Biodiversidad. Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador, p. 68-97.
  • Horton, T. Horton, T., Kroh, A., Ahyong, S., Bailly, N., Boyko, C. B., Brandão, S. N., Gofas, S., Hooper, J. N. A., Hernandez, F., Holovachov, O., Mees, J., Molodtsova, T. N., Paulay, G., Decock, W., Dekeyzer, S., Poffyn, G., Vandepitte, L., Vanhoorne, B., Adlard, R., ... Zhao, Z. (2021) World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ.
  • Maluf, L.Y. (1991) Echinoderm Fauna of the Galápagos Islands. In: James, M.J. (ed.): Galápagos Marine Invertebrates. Taxonomy, Biogeography, and Evolution in Darwin's Islands. Plenum Press, New York and London, p. 345-367.

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Holothuria (Platyperona) difficilis", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=14669. Accessed 1 November 2026.