Holothuria (Microthele) nobilis, the black teatfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the genus Holothuria. The sea cucumber is found in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific ocean.[3] It was first described by Emil Selenka in 1867.[4]

Holothuria nobilis
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Holothuroidea
Order: Holothuriida
Family: Holothuriidae
Genus: Holothuria
Species:
H. nobilis
Binomial name
Holothuria nobilis
(Selenka, 1867)
Synonyms
  • Microthele nobilis (Selenka, 1867)
  • Mülleria nobilis Selenka, 1867

Description

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The cucumber inhabits shallow waters near islands and reefs. Members of the species are blackish-brown and grey in colour, and mature adults can weight between 1.7 and 4 kilograms.[5]

Use as food

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Like the related white teatfish, the black teatfish is part of a commercial fishery across its range and the cucumber is regularly consumed as a food.[5] The species can be collected off the seafloor using diving suits or while skindiving, making the species very vulnerable to overfishing.[5] The species is considered endangered in the Indian Ocean.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Conand, C., Purcell, S., Gamboa, R. & Toral-Granda, T.-G. 2013. Holothuria nobilis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T180326A1615368. Downloaded on 29 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ "Holothuria nobilis (Selenka, 1867)". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  4. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Holothuria (Microthele) nobilis (Selenka, 1867)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  5. ^ a b c "Holothuria nobilis, black teatfish : fisheries". www.sealifebase.org. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  6. ^ Purcell, Steven; Branch, Trevor A. (29 May 2013). "How to hunt a species to extinction". The Conversation. Retrieved 2020-08-11.