Shallow-water Holothuroidea (Echinodermata) from Kenya & Pemba Island, Tanzania

Holothuroidea, commonly known as sea cucumbers, make up one of the five extant classes of echinoderms. As a highly successful group these animals have colonized the whole marine realm, from the intertidal zone to the deep ocean trenches and from the poles to the tropics. So far some 1600 species have been described worldwide. However, notwithstanding the fact that in the past two centuries many notable naturalists have turned their attention to the holothuroid fauna of the Indo-Pacific, the shallow-water (up to 50m depth) holothuroid fauna of Kenya was only known from a few publications, while that of Pemba Island (Tanzania) has never been the subject of any study. In order to rectify this situation, several sampling trips to Kenya and Pemba Island have been organized in recent years. These expeditions resulted in an important reference collection that enabled us to recognize new taxa, to add new records to the local fauna, and to clarify some long-standing systematic uncertainties.Samyn, Yves is the author of 'Shallow-water Holothuroidea (Echinodermata) from Kenya & Pemba Island, Tanzania ', published 2003 under ISBN 9789075894547 and ISBN 9075894546.