Actinopyga mauritiana (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
Surf redfish
Actinopyga mauritiana
photo by Purcell, Steven

Family:  Holothuriidae (sea cucumbers)
Max. size:  35 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 1,520.0 g
Environment:  reef-associated; marine; depth range 0 - 35 m
Distribution:  Indo-Pacific.
Diagnosis:  Maximum width: 10 cm (Ref. 418). Body wall thickness: 0.6 cm. Body elongate, arched dorsally (bivium and flattened ventrally (trivium). Bivium sometimes wrinkled; wider in the middle; and tapering towards both ends. Papillae on bivium long and slender. Podia numerous on trivium, stout and crowded on the radii and interadii; calcareous disc of podia around 500 micrometer in diameter. Mouth ventral, surrounded by 25 short and stout tentacles, with a large collar of long papillae at their base. Anus surrounded by 25 stout anal teeth. Calcareous ring showing large radial pieces and interradials with triangular top. Cuvierian tubules few (10), short pink, and never expelled. Color of bivium variable, usually dark brown, with more or less distinct whitish spots. Trivium grains, rods bearing small spines, and denticulate pseudo-plates; dorsal tegument without grains, but with rosettes and denticulate rods; podia with some spinous rods and large rosettes. Tentacles with large rods bearing small spines.
Biology:  Maximum depth from Ref. 122570. Harvested by artisanal fisheries throughout the Western Central Pacific, but probably less frequently than other species of Actinopyga. Collected by hand while wading on the reef at low tide. Processed product is not distinguished from those of other Actinopyga species; moderate commercial value. Prefers coral habitats (Ref. 122152). Dwelling in very shallow waters, rarely found in depths of more than 20 m; mostly on outer reef flats of barrier reefs and fringing reefs exposed to strong hydrodynamism (Ref. 122). In subtidal reefs (Ref. 99447) and sandy lagoons (Ref. 122152). Occasionally found in seagrass beds, attached to coral stones. Active both day and night. Feeds on detritus lying on hard reef substrates (Ref. 92930). Most abundant in the surf zone where populations can reach high densities more than 1 per square meter (Ref. 122).
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU); Date assessed: 15 May 2010 (A2bd) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans:  harmless
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