Holothuria nobilis
{{Short description|Species of sea cucumber}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Holothuria nobilis, Egipto.jpg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = {{r|iucn}}
| status2 = CITES_A2
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = {{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}
| taxon = Holothuria nobilis
| authority = (Selenka, 1867)
| synonyms =
- Microthele nobilis (Selenka, 1867)
- Mülleria nobilis Selenka, 1867
}}
Holothuria (Microthele) nobilis, the black teatfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the genus Holothuria. The sea cucumber is found in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific ocean.{{Cite web|title=Holothuria nobilis (Selenka, 1867)|url=https://www.gbif.org/species/2279194|access-date=2020-08-10|website=www.gbif.org|language=en}} It was first described by Emil Selenka in 1867.{{Cite web|title=WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Holothuria (Microthele) nobilis (Selenka, 1867)|url=http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=210835|access-date=2020-08-10|website=www.marinespecies.org}}
Description
The cucumber inhabits shallow waters near islands and reefs. Members of the species are blackish-brown and grey in colour, and mature adults can weight between 1.7 and 4 kilograms.{{Cite web|title=Holothuria nobilis, black teatfish : fisheries|url=http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Holothuria-nobilis.html|access-date=2020-08-10|website=www.sealifebase.org}}
Use as food
Like the related white teatfish, the black teatfish is part of a commercial fishery across its range and the cucumber is regularly consumed as a food. The species can be collected off the seafloor using diving suits or while skindiving, making the species very vulnerable to overfishing. The species is considered endangered in the Indian Ocean.{{Cite web|last1=Purcell|first1=Steven|last2=Branch|first2=Trevor A.|title=How to hunt a species to extinction|url=http://theconversation.com/how-to-hunt-a-species-to-extinction-13629|access-date=2020-08-11|website=The Conversation|date=29 May 2013 |language=en}}
References
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q2410451}}
Category:Sea cucumbers as food
Category:Echinoderms described in 1867
Category:Taxa named by Emil Selenka
{{Holothuroidea-stub}}