Identification of Intertidal Zone Sea Cucumbers (Class: Holothuroidea) of Qeshm Island (Persian Gulf, Iran)

To identify the diversity of sea cucumbers with the aim of assessing sea cucumbers comprehensively in various habitats and regions, specimens were collected from 15 different parts on the intertidal flats of this island, mainly from north and south coasts. Sampling was done three times (from1388 to 1389) during summer, winter and spring. After transferring the specimen to the lab, spicules were extracted from all specimens and were used for identification The identification of the samples was done by using some valid identification keys to recognize their genera. On this basis, 6 species of Holothurians from Holothuriidea family were identified as: Holothuria parva, Holothuria arenicola, Holothuria cineraceus, Holothuria hilla, Holothuria leucospilota and Holothuria pardalis.