Black sea cucumber
Holothuria atra
Pacific White-spotted Sea Cucumber
Actinopyga varians
About
The Pacific white-spotted sea cucumber is a slow-moving reef grazer, its dark body marked with pale spots as it sits among coral rubble.
- Depth
- up to 25 m
Appearance
The body is thick and fleshy, dark red or brown, sometimes wrinkled, and covered in distinct white spots. Rows of tube feet run along the body, and blunt fleshy bumps called papillae dot the skin. Leaf-like tentacles surround the mouth.
Habitat
Lives on living coral and the rubble around reef crests, in tropical waters of the Pacific and Indo-Pacific, including Hawaii, Fiji, and French Polynesia, down to about 25 m.
Diet
Feeds on tiny particles and plankton, trapping them in sticky mucus on its tentacles before drawing them into its mouth. It is a picky feeder, choosing mainly the most organic-rich material it finds.
Did you know?
While a close relative, Actinopyga mauritiana, is eaten as a food across the Pacific, this species is not known to be eaten by people at all.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
