''Stichopus herrmanni'', or Herrmann's sea cucumber, is a species of

holothuroidea 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 ...

echinoderm An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea ...

in the family

Stichopodidae The Stichopodidae are a family of sea cucumbers, part of the order Synallactida. Description Members of this family are mostly large or medium-sized holothuroids with a squarish cross-section, a flat ventral surface, and large, fleshy, cone-s ...

. It is found in the tropical, western Indo-Pacific Ocean, at depths down to . This and several other species are known as curryfish and are harvested commercially; it is called ''gama'' in Indonesia.

Description

''Stichopus herrmanni'' is a large 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 ...

, growing up to long. The body is cylindrical with a flat sole. The body wall is rough and wrinkled, without large swellings but with orange-brown papillae (conical fleshy protuberances). The mouth is surrounded by eight to sixteen feeding tentacles and the sole bears short

tube feet Tube feet (technically podia) are small active tubular projections on the oral face of an echinoderm, whether the arms of a starfish, or the undersides of sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers; they are more discreet though present on britt ...

. The colour is variable, in some locations being greyish-brown, greenish-brown, or sandy-brown, while in others being mustard-yellow, orange-brown or green and brown.

Distribution and habitat

''Stichopus herrmanni'' is found in the tropical west Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from the east coast of Africa to Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. It occurs on sand and mud substrates,

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...

meadows and rubble at depths down to about .

Uses

There is a commercial fishery for this species in Indonesia and northern Australia. It is known as "curryfish", but this name encompasses several species, ''S. herrmanni'', '' Stichopus vastus'' and '' Stichopus ocellatus'' and landings of the three species are recorded as one. At one time, this species was not harvested because the flesh easily disintegrated, but modern processing methods provide better handling and it has now become a high value product. In Queensland, a minimum length of is in force.

Status

Although the population of ''S. herrmanni'' is stable in Australia, elsewhere fishing pressure is causing declines in its populations over most of its range. As a result of overfishing of more desirable species, this species is likely to face greater exploitation, and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed its conservation status as " vulnerable".

References

External links