Holothuria spinifera
Théel , 1886
Enter the name for this tabbed section: Description
This species was observed and photographed only once, near Fahal Island, in Muscat. Holothuria spinifera displays a digging behaviour similar to that of Holothuria arenacava but has a very different overall morphology and color. The trivium is pale brown with slightly darker papillae whereas the bivium is nearly white with long conical tube feet.
Enter the name for this tabbed section: Distribution
Holothuria spinifera is an Indian Ocean species, extending from the Arabian Gulf to India and the Torres Strait in northern Australia.
It is also found in Tanzania.
It is also found in Tanzania.
IUCN status
Data deficient (DD)
Data deficient (DD)
Enter the name for this tabbed section: Ecology and Biology
The only observed specimen was observed by chance near Fahl Island in Muscat. As with H. arenacava which spends most of its life buried in the sediment, H. spinifera is likely more abundant that its limited observation suggests. It does support a small scale, artisanal fishery in Sri-Lanka and supported a fishery in India for more than a thousand years.