CUCUMARIA PALLIDA, A NEW SPECIES OF SEA-CUCUMBER FROM THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC-OCEAN (ECHINODERMATA, HOLOTHUROIDEA)

A new species of dendrochirote holothuroid from the northeast Pacific Ocean is described. Cucumaria pallida n.sp. is compared with two simil ar species, Cucumaria fallax Ludwig, 1874 and Cucumaria miniata (Brand t, 1835). Cucumaria pallida, previously thought to be a pale form of C . miniata, is a common subtidal species with a cream-white skin and de licate, translucent tentacles. Cucumaria pallida n.sp. is known from t he Alaska-British Columbia border south to the Channel Islands, Califo rnia, and from the intertidal zone to a depth of 91 m. The shape and s ize of the ossicles, number of stone canals, body colour, and reproduc tive characteristics distinguish C. pallida from other species of Cucu maria.