Stonefish - Sea Cucumber

Scientific Name: Actinopyga lecanora

Species: 

Other names: Tripang, White Patch Sea Cucumber, Stonefish Sea Cucumber and Blotchy Sea Cucumber.

Description

Some sea cucumbers crawl around on the bottom slowly filtering sand through their tentacles to gather food, while others spread their tentacles above them to capture plankton. A number of sea cucumbers feed nocturnally while others feed by day.

There are sea cucumbers that hardly move while others are more active often perching on tall sponges to feed.
Sea cucumbers often attract hitch-hikers like shrimps and crabs that crawl over their skin, also pearl-fish that enter via their anus.
As a means of defense sea cucumbers can expel their intestines or respiratory organs in the form of sticky threads, but these can quickly regenerate.
Juveniles often mimic sea slugs.
Some types of sea cucumbers are edible and considered a delicacy in the Far East countries.

A large sea cucumber, spindle-shaped when static and highly elongated when active.  It has a ventral mouth surrounded by 20 tentacles.  Anus is surrounded by 5 anal teeth.  The upper surface is sparsely covered in small papillae.

Varies considerably, but there is always a very light-colored patch around the anus.  The dorsal surface is often brown with white mottling.  Some specimens appear paler, with grey patches on a cream background.

Lives at depths from 0 to 20 metes on hard substrates. This species is entirely nocturnal.  In the daytime, it is often found under large stones, in gaps in reef slopes or in sheltered areas affected by tidal currents.

Maximum Width: 9 cm

Depth range: 1-20m

Maximum Length: Approximately 40 cm

Distribution: Widespread Indo-Pacific