WHATSTHATFISH
Sea stars & urchins

Yellow Sea Cucumber

Colochirus robustus

Also known as: Curryfish, Lollyfish, Pricklyfish, Robust Sea Cucumber, Tripang, Yellow Cucumber

Adult
@blogie · Paradise Island Beach Resort, Babak District, Island Garden City of Samal, Philippines · September 20111 / 1
01

Overview

Found singly or in pickles, clinging to the substrate with their tubed feet and spreading their tentacles, to catch passing food, over coral and rocky reefs.

Distinctive appearance with large pointed teats in groups of two or three all over the body surface and numerous large tube feet on the flat underside.

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
spikes

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Central Pacific
  • Country only · 1
LIVES IN

Found singly or in pickles, clinging to the substrate with their tubed feet and spreading their tentacles, to catch passing food, over coral and rocky reefs.

04

Adult photos 1

05

Discussion

Comments are checked by a moderator before they appear.

No comments yet. Seen one, or got a question about it? Start the discussion.

    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumEchinodermata
    3. classHolothuroidea
    4. orderDendrochirotida
    5. familyCucumariidae
    6. genusColochirus
    7. speciesColochirus robustus Östergren, 1898

    SourcesWoRMSWikipedia

    06

    More in the family

    Dendrochirotida