''Holothuria (Microthele) fuscogilva'', also known as the white teatfish or white teeth, 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 genus ''

Holothuria ''Holothuria'' is the type genus of the marine animal family Holothuriidae, part of the class Holothuroidea, commonly known as sea cucumbers. Members of the genus are found in coastal waters in tropical and temperate regions. They are soft bodied ...

'', subgenus ''Microthele''. The cucumber is found in the tropical waters of the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

ocean. The species is vulnerable to over-exploitation from commercial fishing. It was first formally named by

Gustave Cherbonnier Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

in 1980.

Distribution and habitat

''Holothuria fuscogilva'' are found in the

ocean in shallow waters near islands and around coral reefs. Juvenile cucumbers live in shallower waters (such as inter-tidal zones) and then migrate to deeper waters as they mature. Spawning occurs during the Northeastern Monsoon season (October to December), and the species reaches sexually maturity relatively late.

Description

Adult cucumbers weigh between 2.4 and 4 kilograms. They are oval in shape and have a firm texture. This species cucumber has lateral papillae (teats) which are often buried in the sand.

Use

''Holothuria fuscogilva'' is consumed as a food and is of large commercial value across its range. The cucumber can be collected by hand using a

diving suit A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit may also incorporate a breathing gas supply (such as for a standard diving dress or atmospheric diving suit). but in most cases the te ...

or while skin diving, allowing for it to be easily harvested.

Vulnerability and conservation

Due to

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in th ...

, the cucumber was listed as vulnerable on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

in 2010. A large population of the cucumber formerly existed in Sri Lanka, but decades of overfishing and mismanagement caused a large decline in the species' numbers. Sri Lanka banned the harvesting of the species in 2019.

References

Holothuriidae Sea cucumbers as food {{Holothuroidea-stub