Stichopus

{{Short description|Genus of sea cucumbers}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Stichopus herrmanni (Mayotte).jpg | image_caption = ''Stichopus herrmanni'' | taxon = Stichopus | authority = Brandt, 1835 | subdivision = See text }} '''''Stichopus''''' is a genus of sea cucumbers from the family Stichopodidae.

== Description and characteristics == Sources disagree about how many species should be classified in the genus. By 1922 there were about 20 described.<ref name=james>James, D. B. (1998). [http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/4991/1/Article_05.pdf On a little known holothurian ''Stichopus vastus'' Sluiter with notes on other species of ''Stichopus'' from the seas around India.] Marine Fisheries Information Service. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Cochin, India.</ref> Current species counts range from about 8 to 14.<ref name=worms>Hansson, H. (2013). [http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=123459 ''Stichopus'' Brandt, 1835.] World Register of Marine Species. Accessed on 8 June 2013.</ref> A number of animals have been moved to other genera, such as ''Apostichopus'' and ''Isostichopus''.<ref name=worms/>

These sea cucumbers are relatively large. One of the largest is ''S. vastus'', which can reach 40<ref name=mass/> to 50 centimeters in length. They have soft, quadrangular bodies covered on all four sides with thick tubercles.<ref name=james/> Some of them can be quite variable, especially in their coloration. ''S. rubermaculosus'', for example, can be light yellow to dark green with patches of various colors. Species also often differ in color from each other. One of the most distinctive is ''S. chloronotus'', which is black, tinged with green or blue. Some of its body tubercles are tipped with orange.<ref name=mass/> ''S. vastus'' looks "like a giant caterpillar" with yellow and green zebra stripes.<ref name=james/>

Many sea cucumbers are valued as food and as a source of medicine, and ''Stichopus'' is a commonly exploited genus. ''S. monotuberculatus'' is used for both food and medicine.{{cn|date=November 2019}} ''Stichopus'' species are important in traditional medicine practices in Malaysia.<ref name=is>Ismail, H., et al. (2004). [http://journalarticle.ukm.my/968/1/jurnal23.pdf The structure of calcareous rings in ''Stichopus hermanni'' Semper and ''Holothuria atra'' Jaeger.] ''Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia'' 2(2) 47-52.</ref> There they are known as ''gamat'', and they are used to make "gamat water" and "gamat oil", which are tonics for treating wounds, gastric ulcers, and pain. One species fished as ''gamat'' is ''S. horrens''.<ref name=poh>Poh-Sze, C. [http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5501e/y5501e0b.htm Fisheries, trade and utilization of sea cucumbers in Malaysia.] In: Lovatelli, A., et al. ''Advances in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Management.'' FAO. Rome. 2004.</ref> This species is also harvested for food in Samoa. The parts considered edible are the viscera, especially the intestine. A fisher will take the cucumber from the water and place it in a bucket for a few hours to let it pass any sand from its gut. The fisher will then cut out its intestine and sometimes its respiratory system and gonads, as well, and release the still-living animal. The viscera are eaten raw and fresh, or bottled and sold in the community. Apparently, most cucumbers survive this treatment, at least in the short term.<ref name=erik>Eriksson, H., et al. (2007). [http://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/InfoBull/BDM/26/BDM26_02_Eriksson.pdf A pilot study to investigate the survival of ''Stichopus horrens'' after viscera harvest in Samoa.] ''SPC Beche de Mer Information Bulletin'' #26.</ref>

There was a small fishery for ''S. herrmanni'', but it crashed due to overfishing.<ref name=poh/>

== List of species == The following species are recognised in the genus ''Stichopus'':<ref name=worms/> * ''Stichopus chloronotus'' Brandt, 1835 - greenfish * ''Stichopus fusiformiossa'' Woo in Woo et al., 2015 * ''Stichopus herrmanni'' Semper, 1868 - curryfish * ''Stichopus horrens'' Selenka, 1867 - warty sea cucumber, peanutfish, flemfish, Selenka's sea cucumber * ''Stichopus monotuberculatus'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) * ''Stichopus naso'' Semper, 1868 * ''Stichopus noctivagus'' Cherbonnier, 1980 - night-wandering sea cucumber * ''Stichopus ocellatus'' Massin, Zulfigar, Hwai, Boss, 2002'<ref name=mass>Massin, C., et al. (2002). {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20101123022551/http://guammarinelab.com/peetcukes/spppublications/Massin%20et%20al%202002.pdf The genus ''Stichopus'' (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from the Johore Marine Park (Malaysia) with the description of two new species.]}} ''Biologie'' 72 73-99.</ref> - ocellated sea cucumber * ''Stichopus pseudohorrens'' Cherbonnier, 1967 * ''Stichopus quadrifasciatus'' Massin, 1999 * ''Stichopus rubermaculosus'' Massin, Zulfigar, Hwai, Boss, 2002<ref name=mass/> * ''Stichopus vastus'' Sluiter, 1887

<gallery style="text-align:center;" mode="packed"> Image:Stichopus chloronotus Réunion.jpg|''Stichopus chloronotus'' Image:Stichopus herrmanni.jpg|''Stichopus herrmanni'' Image:Stichopus horrens.jpg|''Stichopus horrens'' Image:Stichopus monotuberculatus Réunion.jpg|''Stichopus monotuberculatus'' Image:Stichopus noctivagus.jpg|''Stichopus noctivagus'' Image:Stichopus ocellatus.jpg|''Stichopus ocellatus'' Image:Stichopus vastus.jpg|''Stichopus vastus'' </gallery>

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links == {{Commonscat-inline|Stichopus}}

Category:Stichopodidae