Leopard Sea Cucumber
The leopard sea cucumber (Bohadschia argus) is a large, spotted sea cucumber of Indo-Pacific reefs, up to about 60 centimeters long. When attacked it shoots out sticky threads to tangle its enemy.
The leopard sea cucumber (Bohadschia argus) is a large, spotted sea cucumber of Indo-Pacific reefs, up to about 60 centimeters long. When attacked it shoots out sticky threads to tangle its enemy.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Leopard Sea Cucumber in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Deuterostomia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Cuvierian Tubules: A Sticky Defense
Some sea cucumbers have a bundle of tubes (Cuvierian tubules) attached to the respiratory tree, which they expel through the anus. The tubules elongate and become sticky in seawater, entangling crabs and fish. They also contain toxic saponins, and are regrown.
Home for a Fish
A slender pearlfish sometimes lives inside the sea cucumber's body cavity, entering through the anus. The fish emerges at night to feed, and the cucumber appears to tolerate the arrangement.
Reef Recyclers
Like the sandfish, it feeds on sediment and processes it, which recycles nutrients on the reef. See Sandfish Sea Cucumber.
Leopard Sea Cucumber at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Bohadschia argus |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Echinodermata |
| Class | Holothuroidea |
| Order | Holothuriida |
| Family | Holothuriidae |
| Field Guide group | Deuterostomia: Echinodermata (Sea Stars & Allies) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Plump sausage-shaped body covered in eye-like spots; shoots sticky white threads out of its rear to entangle attackers. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC) |
| Class | Holothuroidea |
| Defense | Sticky Cuvierian tubules |
See Also
- Sandfish Sea Cucumber — a harvested sea cucumber
- Orange-footed Sea Cucumber — a cold-water sea cucumber