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sandfish

Holothuria scabra

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Field Notes

Description:

oblong and stout, 2inches.. it looks squishy and gummy.. grayish with darker areas.. porous body that didn't seem to protrude.

The sandfish is greyish-black on the upper side with dark-coloured wrinkles but paler on the underside. It grows up to four centimetres long, is broader than it is high and has a pliable skin. It is covered by calcareous spicules in the form of tablets and buttons

Habitat:

This species is found in shallow water on soft sediments throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Sandfish are harvested and processed into "beche-de-mer" and eaten in China and other Pacific coastal communities.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (7)

i was poking it with my snorkeling shoes but it wasn't moving.. I wasn't sure if it can move in the sand or it can only move underwater.
yes, a sort of sea cucumber, indeed
This must be a Holothuria scabra, a species of sea cucumber which can only grow up to 4cm.
I thought it was a slug.. but it was too soft and mushy to be one.. baby sea cucumber must be it.. thanks :-)
Possible. Haha it looks like the stowaway cucumber from my tank
That's a sea cucumber! Beside it is a sea star :)
Photographed
PublishedNovember 17, 2011

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