''Stichopus herrmanni'', or Herrmann's sea cucumber, is a species of

holothuroidea Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the 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 being in the Asia ...

echinoderm An echinoderm () is any animal of the phylum Echinodermata (), which includes starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers, as well as the sessile sea lilies or "stone lilies". While bilaterally symmetrical as ...

in the family

Stichopodidae The Stichopodidae are a Family (biology), family of sea cucumbers, part of the order Synallactida. Description Members of this family are mostly large or medium-sized sea cucumber, holothuroids with an angular body shape (almost forming a squar ...

. It is found in the tropical, western Indo-Pacific Ocean, at depths down to . This and several other species are known as curryfish and are harvested commercially; it is called ''gama'' in Indonesia.

Description

''Stichopus herrmanni'' is a large 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 ...

, growing up to long. The body is cylindrical with a flat sole. The body wall is rough and wrinkled, without large swellings but with orange-brown papillae (conical fleshy protuberances). The mouth is surrounded by eight to sixteen feeding tentacles and the sole bears short

tube feet Tube or tubes may refer to: * Tube (2003 film), ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film * "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM#Tubes, Soccer AM television show * Tube (band), a Japanese rock band * Tube & Berger, the alias of dance/e ...

. The colour is variable, in some locations being greyish-brown, greenish-brown, or sandy-brown, while in others being mustard-yellow, orange-brown or green and brown.

Distribution and habitat

''Stichopus herrmanni'' is found in the tropical west Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from the east coast of Africa to Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. It occurs on sand and mud substrates,

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and ...

meadows and rubble at depths down to about .

Uses

There is a commercial fishery for this species in Indonesia and northern Australia. It is known as "curryfish", but this name encompasses several species, ''S. herrmanni'', '' Stichopus vastus'' and '' Stichopus ocellatus'' and landings of the three species are recorded as one. At one time, this species was not harvested because the flesh easily disintegrated, but modern processing methods provide better handling and it has now become a high value product. In Queensland, a minimum length of is in force.

Conservation status

Although the population of ''S. herrmanni'' is stable in Australia, elsewhere fishing pressure is causing declines in its populations over most of its range. As a result of overfishing of more desirable species, this species is likely to face greater exploitation, and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 stat ...

has assessed its conservation status as " vulnerable". This species occurs in several protected areas over its range, including the Dr. K.K. Mohammed Koya Sea Cucumber Conservation Reserve in

Lakshwadeep 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 ...

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References

External links