Stichopus naso
A tropical sea cucumber with erect tubercles and dual activity patterns.
Last updated
Stichopus naso is a species of sea cucumber from the family Stichopodidae. It is notable for being both diurnal and nocturnal, unlike most of its sibling species, and for its distinctive large, erect tubercle-like excrescences on the dorsum.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumEchinodermata
- ClassHolothuroidea
- OrderSynallactida
- FamilyStichopodidae
- GenusStichopus
- SpeciesStichopus naso
Named by Semper, 1868
Close relatives
Other species of Stichopus with a Codexery entry.
- Stichopus chloronotus Stichopus chloronotus
- Stichopus herrmanni Stichopus herrmanni
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Stichopus naso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 242057 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
Where the stichopus naso has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (69 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 6 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Background
Stichopus naso was first discovered in 1867 in the Philippines. The most recent discovery of this species was in 2011 off the coast of Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan. Its range extends from the Andaman Sea to New Caledonia and southern Japan, including the Philippines and Indonesia.
It is a classical Stichopus, stout and trapezoidal to rectangular in cross-section, with three rows of podia on the ventral face. Its color is uniform or mottled, ranging from sandy to dark brown, with black lines and dots. The dorsum bears large, erect (though retractile) tubercle-like excrescences.
This species is both diurnal and nocturnal, an unusual trait among its sibling species. It lives in tropical waters between 1 and 20 meters depth, often in seagrass beds.
More in Sea Cucumbers
Elsewhere in Sea Cucumbers and Brittle Stars
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Stichopus naso (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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