Galapagos Species Database

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

Holothuria (Semperothuria) imitans Ludwig, 1875

meón, pepino de mar, Sea cucumber

Depth: intertidal and shallow

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Echinodermata

Class
Holothuroidea

Order
Holothuriida

Family
Holothuriidae

Genus
Holothuria (Semperothuria)

Species
imitans

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Halodeima pseudo-imitans Cherbonnier, 1951, Holothuria (Halodeima) pseudoimitans (Cherbonnier, 1951), Holothuria (Semperothuria) imitans var. polymorpha Caso, 1962, Holothuria (Semperothuria) pseudoimitans Cherbonnier, 1951, Holothuria imitans Ludwig, 1875· accepted, alternate representation, Holothuria imitans var. polymorpha Caso, 1962, fide Horton et al. (2021)

Origin: Native

Status

IUCN Red List Category: Not evaluated

Distribution

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

Distribution: Mexico, Gulf of California, Colombia, Revillagigedos, Costa Rica, Cocos, Panama, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador including 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.
  • Hickman, C.P. Jr. (1998) A Field Guide to Sea Stars and other Echinoderms of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 83 pp.
  • 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.
  • Sonnenholzner, J. Brand, M., Francisco, V., Hearn, A., Luzuriaga, M., Guarderas, P & Navarro, J. (2013) Echinoderms of Ecuador. In: Alvarado, J & Solís-Marín, A. (eds.) (2013) Echinoderm research and Diversity in Latin America. 183-233 pp.

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 (Semperothuria) imitans", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7996. Accessed 3 November 2026.