Marbled sea cucumber
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- Name / Latin
- Marbled sea cucumber — Pearsonothuria graeffei
- Brief description
- The marbled sea cucumber (Pearsonothuria graeffei) is a bottom-dwelling holothurian of the tropical Indo-Pacific. The body is elongated and cylindrical, with light (creamy or greyish-brown) colour and many dark dots and patches forming a "marbled" pattern; low papillae are visible on the skin. It feeds by sifting the surface layer of sediment and extracting organic matter (detritus). Under strong stress it may release sticky threads (Cuvierian tubules) that contain toxic substances.
- Size:
- 30–40 cm (up to 60 cm)
- Depth:
- 1–25 m
- Habitat:
- Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Red Sea
- Family:
- Holothuriidae
- Type:
- Echinoderms
- Activity:
- Diurnal (active from dawn to dusk), sluggish at night
- Conservation status:
- Least Concern (LC) — not threatened with extinction according to IUCN assessment
