Holothuria parvula

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Species of sea cucumber

title: "Holothuria parvula" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["holothuriidae", "echinoderms-of-the-atlantic-ocean", "echinoderms-described-in-1867", "taxa-named-by-emil-selenka"] description: "Species of sea cucumber" topic_path: "general/holothuriidae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holothuria_parvula" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of sea cucumber ::

| image = Holothuria parvula.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | status2 = G4 | status2_system = TNC | status2_ref = | taxon = Holothuria parvula | authority = (Selenka, 1867) | synonyms =

  • *H. abbreviata * Heilprin, 1888
  • H. captiva Ludwig, 1875
  • Muelleria parvula Selenka, 1867 | synonyms_ref =

Holothuria parvula, the golden sea cucumber, is a species of echinoderm in the class Holothuroidea. It was first described by Emil Selenka in 1867 and has since been placed in the subgenus Platyperona, making its full scientific name Holothuria (Platyperona) parvula. It is found in shallow areas of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and is unusual among sea cucumbers in that it can reproduce by breaking in half.

Description

Holothuria parvula is a roughly cylindrical sea cucumber with tube feet on the underside and conical warty protuberances on the upper surface. It is a golden colour.

Distribution

Holothuria parvula is found on the seabed in shallow water in the tropical western part of the Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Its range includes Bermuda, the West Indies, the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles, Colombia and Venezuela.

Biology

Holothuria parvula lives on a sandy seabed and feeds on detritus, algae and plankton. It crawls across the surface or manoeuvres across rocks with its tube feet. If attacked or stressed, this sea cucumber may eject a mass of sticky threads called cuvierian tubules from its anus. These contain a toxin called holothurin and entangle small fish or crabs which are unable to free themselves and eventually die. Meanwhile, the sea cucumber continues on its way and regenerates the tubules in the course of time.

Holothuria parvula is able to reproduce asexually by transverse fission.

References

References

  1. Alvarado, J.J.. (2013). "''Holothuria parvula''".
  2. "''Holothuria parvula''".
  3. Paulay, Gustav. (2012). "''Holothuria (Platyperona) parvula'' (Selenka, 1867)".
  4. (1978). "Marine Invertebrates and Plants of the Living Reef". T.F.H. Publications.
  5. (2004). "Invertebrate Zoology". Cengage Learning.
  6. Stan. "Facts, Information and Pictures of Sea Cucumbers". About.com Saltwater Aquariums.
  7. (1987). "Studies of the fissiparous holothurian ''Holothuria parvula'' (Selenka) (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.

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holothuriidaeechinoderms-of-the-atlantic-oceanechinoderms-described-in-1867taxa-named-by-emil-selenka