FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

Order Aspidochirotida - Holothuriidae 1171
Actinopyga spinea Cherbonnier, 1980
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / Actinopyga miliaris (Quoy and Gaimard, 1833);
A. palauensis Panning, 1944; other black species of Actinopyga.
FAO names: En - New Caledonia blackfish.
calcareous ring
spicules of tentacles
spicules of anal tegument
anus subdorsal, with
5 nodose teeth
spicules of
peristome
(after Féral and Cherbonnier, 1986)
layer of sediment on bivium
spicules of
podia
mouth ventral,
with 20 stout
tentacles
spicules of dorsal
podia
Diagnostic characters: Body elongate, cylindrical, slightly arched dorsally (bivium) and flattened ventrally
(trivium). Bivium generally covered by fine sediment. Papillae on bivium small, slender, and conical;
cylindrical and thick podia on trivium arranged irregularly on the radii and interradii; calcareous disc of
podia around 700 µm in diameter. Mouth ventral, surrounded by 20 stout tentacles. Anus subdorsal,
surrounded by 5 strong, triangular, and nodose anal teeth. Calcareous ring thick, with large radial pieces
and narrow interradials. Cuvierian tubules absent. Colour: bivium black; trivium dark brown. Spicules:
sparse in the ventral and dorsal tegument, abundant only near the mouth, anus, and tentacles; a few rods
in the dorsal tegument give rise to numerous rosettes, rods, and various plates; small to large plates
provided with holes and spines near the anus; tentacles with rods straight or arched, bearing small spines.
Size: Maximum length about 38 cm, commonly to about 27 cm; mean live weight about 0.7 kg (up to 1.2 kg);
body-wall thickness about 5 mm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: In moderately shallow water from depths of 5 to 30 m, on the lagoon floor,
sometimes burrowed in sandy-muddy sediments. Populations reach medium densities (up to 0.1/m 2 ). A
poorly known species. May be collected by divers for artisanal fisheries along with other “blackfish” species,
but not intensively so, since it is found in comparatively low densities and has a deeper distribution. The
processed product is not
distinguished from those of
other Actinopyga species and
probably has a moderate
commercial value.
Distribution: Known only from
New Caledonia.