WHATSTHATFISH
Sea stars & urchins

Panning's Black Sea Cucumber

Actinopyga palauensis

Also known as: Black Sea Cucumber, Black Teatfish, Blackfish, Deepwater Blackfish, Lollyfish, Palauan Sea Cucumber, Panning's Blackfish, Panning's Sea Cucumber, Tripang

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2013
Adult
@Rupesh · Bali, Indonesia · November 20191 / 1
01

Overview

Found singly, in moderately shallow waters, over flagstones, coral rubble, and sandy semi-sheltered bay reefs, and reef slopes.

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

02

How to identify

COLOURS
Body shape
textured
Behaviour
solitary

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Pacific Ocean
  • Country only · 1
LIVES IN

Found singly, in moderately shallow waters, over flagstones, coral rubble, and sandy semi-sheltered bay reefs, and reef slopes.

04

Adult photos 1

05

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. genusActinopyga
    7. speciesActinopyga palauensis Panning, 1944

    SourcesWoRMSIUCN Red List

    06

    More in the family

    Sea Cucumbers (Holothuriidae)