BRIEF SUMMARY
Holothuria edulis, or the edible sea cucumber, is a holothurian echinoderm. Holothurians are most closely related to sea stars, sea urchins, brittle stars and sand dollars, all of which are classes of echinoderm. H. edulis is distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific, predominantly residing in the shallow waters of coral reef flats and fore reef slopes, to depths of around 20m. H. edulis and plays an important role in coral reef ecosystems by aiding bioturbation. They are nocturnally active and prefer to shelter under coral boulders during the day. They are one of the most conspicuous members of the benthic community and are found to be constantly deposit feeding in sand and rubble [8]. |