''Stichopus naso'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
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 ...
from 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 ...
Description
It is a classical ''
Stichopus
''Stichopus'' is a genus of sea cucumbers from the family Stichopodidae.
Description and characteristics
Sources disagree about how many species should be classified in the genus. By 1922 there were about 20 described.James, D. B. (1998)On a li ...
'', stout and trapezoidal to rectangular in cross-section and with three rows of podia on the ventral face. Its color is uniform or mottled, from sandy to darj brown, with black lines and dots. Its dorsum wears huge and erected (though retractile) tubercle-like excrescences.
Stichopus naso, or also known as tropical holothurian but generally, in modern terms, it is considered a sea cucumber. Stichopus naso was discovered in 1867 specifically in the Philippines. The most recent discovery of this species was in 2011 by the coast of Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan
Range
This species can be found from the Andaman Sea to New Caledonia and southern Japan, including Philippines and Indonesia.
Habitat
It is a tropical species, living between 1 and 20m, often in seagrass beds.
Ecology
It is a diurnal and nocturnal species (unlike most of its sibling species), often associated to seagrass beds.
Bibliography
* Purcell, S.W., Samyn, Y. & Conand, C. ''Commercially important sea cucumbers of the world'', FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 6. Rome, FAO. 2012. 150 pp. 30 colour plates.
References
Marine animals
Stichopodidae
{{Holothuroidea-stub