White Teatfish - Sea Cucumber

Scientific Name: Holothuria Fuscogilva

Species: 

Other names: Bat Susu, White Teatfish

Description
The White Teatfish Cucumber is a tropical echinoderm species that is a member of the sea cucumber family Holothuriidae. Mean live wt. 2,400 - 4000 g; body-wall thickness: 1.2 cm. Body: sub oval, stout, firm and rigid, arched dorsally (bivium) and flattened vent-rally (trivium). Bivium with characteristic large lateral papillae (teats) and often covered by sand. Bivium with small papillae as well as podia ending in a disc of around 0.045 cm diameter; podia on trivium stout, arranged irregularly, their calcareous disc around 0.06 cm in diameter. Mouth ventral, surrounded by a collar of long yellowish papillae and 20 grey, stout tentacles. Anus surrounded by 5 stout calcareous teeth. Calcareous ring with large radial pieces (slightly different from Holothuria nobilis). Cuvierian tubules absent. Color variable; bivium brown with more or less distinct whitish spots, becoming larger on sides; trivium lighter, generally whitish. Spicules in form of tables and buttons; dorsal and ventral tegument with 2 kinds of tables; one form of table having an undulated disc with 10 to 15 irregular holes, supporting a massive spire with 4 pillars, ending in a very large , spiny, perforated crown; the other form of table, more frequent in the dorsal tegument, have a larger disc, with more holes and a spire ending in a crown composed of 2 or 3 rows of stout spines and 5 or 6 spiny pillars; ventral tegument buttons simple, with 8 holes or more complicated as fenestrated ellipsoids; dorsal-tegument buttons only as fenestrated ellipsoids; ventral and dorsal podia with large plates, multiperforated; tentacles with spiny ending rods up to 0.07 cm.

Depth range: 10 - 40 m

Maximum Length: 20-40 cm

Weight: 4.0 kg

Distribution: Indo-Pacific.

Habitat: coral slabs near reef passages or at the foot of the lagoon-side reef slopes.  Average density is about 10 animals per hectare.