Tufted sea cucumber (Holothuria cinerascens)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Echinodermata · Class: Holothuroidea · Order: Holothuriida · Family: Holothuriidae · Genus: Holothuria.

Accepted name: Holothuria cinerascens · Authority: (Brandt, 1835) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1672777.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Holothuria (Semperothuria) cinerascens (Brandt, 1835); Holothuria pulchella Selenka, 1867; Holothuria willeyi Bedford, 1899; Stichopus (Gymnochirota) cinerascens Brandt, 1835.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1672777 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Holothuria cinerascens. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 16 cm · Depth range: 0–20 m · Habitat zone: benthic · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial.

SeaLifeBase notes: Found in waters less than 30m. Associated with coral communities (Ref. 129602).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 139206) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Holothuria-cinerascens.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

636 georeferenced occurrence records for Holothuria cinerascens are published through GBIF from 31 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 93 distinct locations from a sample of 636 records, omitting 23 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: United States of America (246); Cook Islands (75); Chinese Taipei (55); French Polynesia (37); South Africa (34); Australia (32); India (23); Réunion (20); Chile (19); Oman (16); Mozambique (9); New Caledonia (8); Guam (7); Seychelles (7); Cocos (Keeling) Islands (5).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 4342930) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=4342930&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1672777 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Holothuria cinerascens (Brandt, 1835) as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 180504) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/180504/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 4342930) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/4342930/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The ashy sea cucumber appears as a black tube with grey or red specs giving it the overall appearance like ashes and varies in size from ten to thirty centimeters. They live for about five to fifteen years. The ashy sea cucumber uses its tentacles to catch floating particles from the water column, such as plankton, algae, tiny aquatic organisms and organic detritus. Holothuria cinerascens is gonochoric and a broadcast spawner.

This species can be found around coral reefs and rocks, in tide pools, in deeper waters, lagoons, and bays, often hiding in very tight spaces. Their movement and migration patterns depend on their depth of sea level they are located at, influence of light intensity, the temperature conditions and the amount of predators surrounding the area.

These marine animals are very nutritional. They contain minerals, calcium, vitamins, irons, zinc and magnesium. They are very important human food sources which is why they have high economic food value. These sea cucumbers are also part of pharmaceutical uses. Their protein is rich in glycine (major component) and also contain amino acids and other components (glutamic acid, alanine, threonine acid, etc.).

Ashy sea cucumbers are very common on Hawaiian shorelines. They are known as "Loli pua" in Hawaiian. As for cultural connections (Moʻolelo), these sea cucumbers were eaten and used as medicine during traditional Hawaiian life.

Source: Wikipedia: Holothuria cinerascens — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holothuria_cinerascens (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.