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Opheodesoma spectabilis
Dark orange-black thin-walled, knobby, segmented sea cucumbers, with prominent black feeding tentacles and grayish ventral side, 1-2 inches (2-5 cm) diameter and of length up to three feet (90 cm).
Near shore, shallow, tidal tropical harbor water ecosystem, with bottom of sand, shells, silty sediment, rocks and coral rubble.
Spotted in Pearl Harbor in 12-16 inches of water off the north shore of Ford Island, ~ 6 feet offshore and ~ 50 yards southwest of the foot of the USS Utah Memorial. One individual was lifted and returned to the water, ending up "upside down" (image 3), thus showing its gray ventral color. Lifting it was only slightly easier than lifting a handful of soup and revealed that this species has no structure. They are rather like under-filled water balloons, and as flaccid. Their coloration in this case is darker than what is generally reported for this species. Indeed, the dark orange-black coloration of the individuals in this spotting contrasts starkly with the zombie gray of individuals I’ve seen at the other location where O. spectabilis are common, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. Other factors: size, appearance (evocative of an intestine), habitat, are a good fit. And since, apparently, “in some species color can be influenced by environmental factors”, it seemed a safe bet to go with O. spectabilis.