Holothuria atra

lollyfish (sea cucumber)
Holothuria atra
Holothuria atra, Galapagos, Ecuador, Photo: Graham Edgar
Holothuria atra
Holothuria atra, Exmouth, WA, Photo: Andrew Green
Holothuria atra
Holothuria atra, Gulf of Carpentaria, QLD, Photo: Andrew Green
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Holothuria atra
Holothuria atra
Holothuria atra

Distribution

Tropical Eastern Pacific, Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Smooth, cylindrical body with rounded ends. Entirely black, though usually covered in sand, often with round patches of no sand. Historically harvested heavily as a food source but now holds low commercial value.


Information

Max Size: 50 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 20-31°C

Depth: 0-30m

Habitat Generalization Index: N/A

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.


Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Occurrence: Frequent (14.2% of sites)

Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed

Abundance: Few (4 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.


Edit by: Joe Shields