These large sea cucumbers are similar in size to Thelenota ananas, but are smoother and a bit more square in its cross section shape. These are common on a range of lagoon, pinnacle and seaward reefs.
Many sea cucumbers process sand, taking it in at the mouth end and after digesting out all the edibles, leaving elongate tubes of mucus packaged sand out the other end.
I think this is a young one.
Juveniles.
Like Thelenota ananas, T. anax often hosts the commensal crab Lissocarcinus orbicularis. The crabs live in the mouth or anus but will emerge out onto the body of the sea cucumber to forage.
A small commensal crab in the anal opening of a large T. anax.
Another commensal rarely found on Thelenota anax is the shrimp Zenopontonia rex.
Commensal worms may also be found on T. anax.
Created 22 June 2018
Updated 15 July 2023