Holothuria whitmaei
| Holothuria whitmaei | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Holothuroidea |
| Order: | Holothuriida |
| Family: | Holothuriidae |
| Genus: | Holothuria |
| Species: | H. whitmaei
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| Binomial name | |
| Holothuria whitmaei Bell, 1887
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| Synonyms | |
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Holothuria (Microthele) whitmaei, commonly known as the black teatfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. The sea cucumber is distributed in the western Indian and Pacific oceans, with specimens being found off of Tanzania,[2] New Caledonia and the Philippines.[3] They are usually found in groups of 5-25 individuals.[4]
Description
H. whitmaei is now classified as a separate species from H. nobilis. H. whitmaei used to be included in H. nobilis.[5]
Seasonal trends from two populations of H. whitmaei were investigated, between the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef. The gonad index was found to peak between April and June. Macroscopic and histological analysis revealed “that large germinal tubules, positioned centrally on the gonad basis, progressed through four maturity stages: growing (II); mature (III); partly spawned (IV); and spent (V)”.[6]
In one study in 2003, they were unsure why “up to 23% of H. whitmaei specimens were hidden from some time during the night until midday".[5] Although in another study to obtain ecological data on H. whitmaei, “rates of activity in marked specimens increased significantly in the initial hours after marking”.[7] This suggests that marking the specimens likely compromises the research.
“Diurnal studies of 30 black teat fish on the Ningaloo Reef...found that the proportion of animals sheltered (and therefore hidden when viewed from directly above) was significantly greater in the morning...relative to the afternoon”.[5] A different study found that (on marked and unmarked specimens) they were most active between the hours of 2:30-5:30pm.[7]
Use and conservation
Many sea cucumbers are processed, dried, and boiled to become
References
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Holothuria (Microthele) whitmaei Bell, 1887". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
- ^ "Holothuria whitmaei, teatfish : fisheries". www.sealifebase.ca. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
- JSTOR 24875233.
- ^ ISSN 0165-7836.
- S2CID 85265457.
- ^ S2CID 84701641. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ ISSN 2352-4855.
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