''Holothuria (Microthele) whitmaei'', commonly known as the black teatfish, is a species of
sea cucumber
Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothu ...
in the family
Holothuriidae
Holothuriidae is a family of sea cucumbers, a type of echinoderm.
Description
Members of the family Holothuriidae have thick fleshy bodies and several rows of tube feet which are used for moving around and for adhering to the surface. The body ...
. The sea cucumber is distributed in the western Indian and Pacific oceans, with specimens being found off of Tanzania,
New Caledonia and the Philippines. They are usually found in groups of 5-25 individuals.
Description
''H. whitmaei'' is now classified as a separate species from ''
H. nobilis''. ''H. whitmaei'' used to be included in
''H.'' ''nobilis''.
Seasonal trends from two populations of ''H. whitmaei'' were investigated, between the
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...
and
Ningaloo Reef
The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Site located in the north west coastal region of Western Australia. The heritage-listed area is located approximately north of Perth, along the East Indian Ocean. The distinctive Ningaloo Reef that fring ...
. The gonad index was found to peak between April and June. Macroscopic and histological analysis revealed “that large germinal tubules, positioned centrally on the gonad basis, progressed through four maturity stages: growing (II); mature (III); partly spawned (IV); and spent (V)”.
In one study in 2003, they were unsure why “up to 23% of ''H. whitmaei'' specimens were hidden from some time during the night until midday".
Although in another study to obtain ecological data on H. whitmaei, “rates of activity in marked specimens increased significantly in the initial hours after marking”.
This suggests that marking the specimens likely compromises the research.
“Diurnal studies of 30 black teat fish on the Ningaloo Reef...found that the proportion of animals sheltered (and therefore hidden when viewed from directly above) was significantly greater in the morning...relative to the afternoon”.
A different study found that (on marked and unmarked specimens) they were most active between the hours of 2:30-5:30pm.
Use and conservation
Many sea cucumbers are processed, dried, and boiled to become
beche-de-mar. It is a very important and profitable commodity in many Pacific countries and communities, particularly in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
, the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its ca ...
,
Australia, and the
Fiji Islands
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji cons ...
. ''H.'' ''whitmaei'' are "among the highest value species and well-dried ‘A’ grade product may command a price of $US 70–190 per kg depending on size and quality".
Although a moratorium due to overproduction has prevented supply from Papua New Guinea since 2009.
on the other hand exports 243 tons of
sea cucumber food per year.
References
Holothuriidae
{{Holothuroidea-stub