WHATSTHATFISH
Sea stars & urchins

Lollyfish

Holothuria atra

Also known as: Atra Sea Cucumber, Black Beauty, Black Cucumber, Black Lollyfish, Black Sea Cucumber, Blackfish, Holothuria Lolly, Lolly, Lollyfish Sea Cucumber, Tripang

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2013
Adult
@fishx6 · Gangehi, Maldives · March 20081 / 7
01

Overview

Found singly often covered in a layer of sand, close too rocks, over inshore shallow sand flats and seagrass meadows of lagoons.

Some sea cucumbers crawl around on the bottom slowly filtering sand through their tentacles to gather food, while others spread their tentacles above them to capture plankton. A number of sea cucumbers feed nocturnally while others feed by day.
There are sea cucumbers that hardly move while others are more active often perching on tall sponges to feed.
Sea cucumbers often attract hitch-hikers like shrimps and crabs that crawl over their skin, also pearlfish that enter via their anus.
As a means of defence sea cucumbers can expel their intestines or respiratory organs in the form of sticky threads, but these can quickly regenerate.
Juveniles often mimic sea slugs.
Some types of sea cucumbers are edible and considered a delicacy in the Far East countries.

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How to identify

COLOURS

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03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-Pacific
  • Country only · 7
LIVES IN

Found singly often covered in a layer of sand, close too rocks, over inshore shallow sand flats and seagrass meadows of lagoons.

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Adult photos 7

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Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumEchinodermata
    3. classHolothuroidea
    4. orderHolothuriida
    5. familyHolothuriidae
    6. genusHolothuria
    7. speciesHolothuria atra Jaeger, 1833

    SourcesWoRMSWikipedia

    06

    More in the family

    Sea Cucumbers (Holothuriidae)