Pearsonothuria graeffei (Semper, 1868)
Blackspotted sea cucumber
bat,  Flowerfish,  Blackspotted sea cucumber
Pearsonothuria graeffei
photo by Jan Messersmith

Family:  Holothuriidae (sea cucumbers)
Max. size:  45 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 1,300.0 g
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 30 m
Distribution:  Indo-Pacific, excluding the Persian Gulf and Hawaii.
Diagnosis:  Mean live weight 700 to 1,300 g; body-wall thickness 0.4 cm. Body sub cylindrical, arched dorsally (bivium) and slightly flattened ventrally (trivium). White conical papillae sparsely distributed on bivium; podia on trivium long and large, their calcareous disc around 240 micrometer in diameter. Mouth ventral, surrounded by 25 large, black brown dots and numerous small black spots; trivium grey, also with small black spots. Spicules on dorsal and ventral tegument with pseudo-tables and rosettes; pseudo-tables consisting of large base with a large hole, and a spiny spire; rosettes numerous, those in the tegument simple, but more complicated in the dorsal papillae and ventral podia; also present around anus are rods, small plates, and tables with very spiny crown; tentacles containing a few rods and large plates derived from rosettes.
Biology:  Maximum depth from Ref. 85218. Not harvested for bĂȘche-de-mer production (Ref. 122).
IUCN Red List Status: (LC); Date assessed: 18 May 2010 Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Known from Sabah (Ref. 85002). C: Ref. 85002; M: Ref. 122.

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