''Actinopyga lecanora'', commonly known as the white-bottomed sea cucumber, is a species of

sea cucumber Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea (). They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothuria ...

in the family

Holothuriidae Holothuriidae is a family of sea cucumbers, a type of echinoderm. Description Members of the family Holothuriidae have thick fleshy bodies and several rows of tube feet which are used for moving around and for adhering to the surface. The body ...

. It is native to the tropical Western Indo-Pacific region and is harvested for food.

Description

''Actinopyga lecanora'' grows to a length of about . The top and bottom of the sea cucumber is a mottled tan-orange colour, and the anus is surrounded with a white ring, lending the sea cucumber its common name.

Distribution and habitat

''Actinopyga lecanora'' is found off the coasts of Asia and East Africa, in the tropical

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

and the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. Its range extends from Kenya and Madagascar to the west, to Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and other island groups in the western Pacific. It is considered rare in the Taiping Islands and Taiwan. It is nocturnal and typically found on forereef slopes, at depths between .

Status

This species is harvested commercially for food and traditional medicine in some parts of its range, and is of medium commercial importance. It is used in the production of bêche-de-mer in 13 different countries in the Western Central Pacific. In Papua New Guinea, it is subject to a minimum size limit of if fresh and if dry, as well as a designated fishing season between January 16 and September 30 to prevent overfishing. The IUCN lists its conservation status as

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2106936 Holothuriidae Fauna of the Indian Ocean Fauna of the Pacific Ocean Animals described in 1833