''Stichopus chloronotus'' is a species of

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class (biology), class Holothuroidea ( ). They are benthic marine animals found on the sea floor worldwide, and the number of known holothuroid species worldwide is about 1,786, with the greatest number be ...

. Common names include the greenfish sea cucumber, the spiky sea cucumber and the black knobby sea cucumber. It is native to the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region. It has a wide range and is abundant and the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

lists it as being of "

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

Description

''Stichopus chloronotus'' is a fairly large species growing to about with a firm but pliable body and a squarish cross section. The skin is smooth but there are numerous conical fleshy papillae in longitudinal rows, and these are larger on the lower lateral angles. This sea cucumber is a deep blackish-green in colour, and has yellow or red tips to the papillae. Image:Reef4315 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg Image:Sea cucumber Stichopus chloronotus (7669155166).jpg Image:Stichopus chloronotus1.jpg Image:Stichopus chloronotus Thailand.jpg, Some specimens can be blueish

Distribution and habitat

''Stichopus chloronotus'' is native to the Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

and the East Coast of Africa, through

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

, the

Comores The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...

and

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

to Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan,

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

Fiji Fiji, 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 consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

and

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

. It lives on reefs, but can also be found on rubble located on the outer reef flats at depths down to about .

Biology

''Stichopus chloronotus'' is a

detritivore Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...

and sifts through the sediment on the seabed with its tentacles and feeds on

detritus In biology, detritus ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...

and other organic matter including plant and animal remains, bacteria, protozoa, diatoms and faeces. In the process it swallows a lot of sand and plays an important part in churning up and aerating the seabed.Marine Biology Papers, Volume 19
Carnegie Institution of Washington. Tortugas Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington. 1924, p 34 ''Stichopus chloronotus'' can reproduce asexually by undergoing transverse fission, forming two new individuals which each regenerate the missing parts. It can also reproduce sexually.

Status

''Stichopus chloronotus'' is gathered for human consumption across much of its range. Although not one of the most important species for this purpose, it resembles the much-favoured Japanese sea cucumber ''

Apostichopus japonicus ''Apostichopus'' is a genus of sea cucumbers in the family Stichopodidae. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Apostichopus'': * ''Apostichopus californicus'' (Stimpson, 1857) * ''Apostichopus japonicus'' (Selenka, 1867) * ...

'' and is increasingly being caught in some areas as supplies of that species dwindle. This species has a widespread distribution and is common in many parts of its range so the

lists it as being of "

". It is also known to occur in several protected areas, including the Dr. K.K. Mohammed Koya Sea Cucumber Conservation Reserve in

Lakshadweep Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the 11th parallel north), and th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q910561 Stichopodidae Echinoderms described in 1853