''Stichopus'' is a genus 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 ...

s 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 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 little known holothurian ''Stichopus vastus'' Sluiter with notes on other species of ''Stichopus'' from the seas around India.
Marine Fisheries Information Service. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Cochin, India. Current species counts range from about 8 to 14.Hansson, H. (2013)
''Stichopus'' Brandt, 1835.
World Register of Marine Species. Accessed on 8 June 2013. A number of animals have been moved to other genera, such as ''

Apostichopus ''Apostichopus'' is a genus of sea cucumbers in the family Stichopodidae. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Apostichopus'': * '' Apostichopus californicus'' (Stimpson, 1857) * ''Apostichopus japonicus'' (Selenka, 1867) ...

'' and '' Isostichopus''. These sea cucumbers are relatively large. One of the largest is ''S. vastus'', which can reach 40 to 50 centimeters in length. They have soft, quadrangular bodies covered on all four sides with thick tubercles. Some of them can be quite variable, especially in their coloration. ''S. rubermaculosus'', for example, can be light yellow to dark green with patches of various colors. Species also often differ in color from each other. One of the most distinctive is ''S. chloronotus'', which is black, tinged with green or blue. Some of its body tubercles are tipped with orange. ''S. vastus'' looks "like a giant caterpillar" with yellow and green

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...

stripes. Many sea cucumbers are valued as food and as a source of medicine, and ''Stichopus'' is a commonly exploited genus. ''S. monotuberculatus'' is used for both food and medicine. ''Stichopus'' species are important in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

practices in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

.Ismail, H., et al. (2004)
The structure of calcareous rings in ''Stichopus hermanni'' Semper and ''Holothuria atra'' Jaeger.
''Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia'' 2(2) 47-52. There they are known as ''gamat'', and they are used to make "gamat water" and "gamat oil", which are tonics for treating wounds,

gastric ulcer Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a break in the inner lining of the stomach, the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while one in the first part of the intestines i ...

s, and pain. One species fished as ''gamat'' is ''S. horrens''.Poh-Sze, C
Fisheries, trade and utilization of sea cucumbers in Malaysia.
In: Lovatelli, A., et al. ''Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management.'' FAO. Rome. 2004. This species is also harvested for food in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. The parts considered edible are the

viscera In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...

, especially the

intestine The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans ...

. A fisher will take the cucumber from the water and place it in a bucket for a few hours to let it pass any sand from its gut. The fisher will then cut out its intestine and sometimes its respiratory system and

gonads A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, produces sperm ...

, as well, and release the still-living animal. The viscera are eaten raw and fresh, or bottled and sold in the community. Apparently, most cucumbers survive this treatment, at least in the short term.Eriksson, H., et al. (2007)
A pilot study to investigate the survival of ''Stichopus horrens'' after viscera harvest in Samoa.
''SPC Beche de Mer Information Bulletin'' #26. There was a small fishery for ''S. herrmanni'', but it crashed 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 ...

List of species

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Stichopus'': * '' Stichopus chloronotus'' Brandt, 1835 - greenfish * '' Stichopus fusiformiossa'' Woo in Woo et al., 2015 * ''

Stichopus herrmanni ''Stichopus herrmanni'', or Herrmann's sea cucumber, is a species of holothuroidean echinoderm in the family Stichopodidae. It is found in the tropical, western Indo-Pacific Ocean, at depths down to . This and several other species are known as c ...

'' Semper, 1868 - curryfish * ''

Stichopus horrens ''Stichopus horrens'' is a variable, grey to green/black sea cucumber from the Indo-Pacific. It is often variegated with dark patches. It is a medium-sized species (to 30 cm) with a smooth tegument but large and irregular papillae. The big ...

'' Selenka, 1867 - warty sea cucumber, peanutfish, flemfish, Selenka's sea cucumber * ''

Stichopus monotuberculatus ''Stichopus monotuberculatus'' is a species of sea cucumber 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 ho ...

'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) * '' Stichopus naso'' Semper, 1868 * '' Stichopus noctivagus'' Cherbonnier, 1980 - night-wandering sea cucumber * ''

Stichopus ocellatus ''Stichopus ocellatus'' is a species of sea cucumber 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 holothuro ...

'' Massin, Zulfigar, Hwai, Boss, 2002'Massin, C., et al. (2002)
The genus ''Stichopus'' (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from the Johore Marine Park (Malaysia) with the description of two new species.
''Biologie'' 72 73-99. - ocellated sea cucumber * '' Stichopus pseudohorrens'' Cherbonnier, 1967 * ''

Stichopus quadrifasciatus ''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 ...

'' Massin, 1999 * '' Stichopus rubermaculosus'' Massin, Zulfigar, Hwai, Boss, 2002 * ''

Stichopus vastus ''Stichopus vastus'' is a species of sea cucumber 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 ...

'' Sluiter, 1887 Image:Stichopus chloronotus Réunion.jpg, '' Stichopus chloronotus'' Image:Stichopus herrmanni.jpg, ''

'' Image:Stichopus horrens.jpg, ''

'' Image:Stichopus monotuberculatus Réunion.jpg, ''

'' Image:Stichopus noctivagus.jpg, '' Stichopus noctivagus'' Image:Stichopus ocellatus.jpg, ''

'' Image:Stichopus vastus.jpg, ''

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3461662 Stichopodidae