Holothuria is the type genus of the marine animal family Holothuriidae, part of the class Holothuroidea, commonly known as sea cucumbers. Members of the genus are found in coastal waters in tropical and temperate regions. They are soft-bodied, limbless invertebrates which dwell on the ocean floor and are usually detritivores. They resemble a cucumber in form. The genus contains some species that are harvested and sold as food.

Species

The World Register of Marine Species recognizes 163 species in 19 subgenera of Holothuria:

Holothuria atra
Holothuria cinerascens
Holothuria difficilis
Holothuria edulis
Holothuria flavomaculata
Holothuria forskali
Holothuria fuscocinerea
Holothuria hilla
  • Subgenus Acanthotrapeza Rowe, 1969 Holothuria coluber Semper, 1868 Holothuria kubaryi Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria pyxis Selenka, 1867 Holothuria tripilata Massin, 1987
  • Subgenus Cystipus Haacke, 1880 Holothuria casoae Laguarda-Figueras & Solís-Marín, 2009 Holothuria cubana Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria dura Cherbonnier & Féral, 1981 Holothuria hartmeyeri (Helfer, 1912) Holothuria inhabilis Selenka, 1867 Holothuria jousseaumei Cherbonnier, 1954 Holothuria mammosa Cherbonnier, 1988 Holothuria occidentalis Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria pseudofossor Deichmann, 1930 Holothuria rigida Selenka, 1867 Holothuria sucosa Erwe, 1919 Holothuria turrisimperfecta Cherbonnier, 1965 Holothuria yann Samyn in Samyn & Vandenspiegel, 2016
  • Subgenus Halodeima Pearson, 1914 Holothuria enalia Lampert, 1885 Holothuria floridana Pourtalés, 1851 Holothuria grisea Selenka, 1867 Holothuria inornata Semper, 1868 Holothuria manningi Pawson, 1978 Holothuria mexicana Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria nigralutea O'Loughlin, 2007 Holothuria pulla Selenka, 1867 Holothuria signata Ludwig, 1875
  • Subgenus Holothuria Linnaeus, 1767 Holothuria algeriensis Mezali, Thandar & Khodja, 2021 Holothuria caparti Cherbonnier, 1965 Holothuria dakarensis Panning, 1939 Holothuria fungosa Helfer, 1912 Holothuria helleri Marenzeller von, 1877 Holothuria mammata Grube, 1840 Holothuria massaspicula Cherbonnier, 1954 Holothuria nobilis Selenka, 1867 Holothuria stellati Delle Chiaje, 1824 Holothuria tubulosa Gmelin, 1791
  • Subgenus Lessonothuria Deichmann, 1958 Holothuria cavans Massin & Tomascik, 1996 Holothuria coronata Yáñez Villanueva, Solís-Marín & Laguarda-Figueras, 2022 Holothuria cumulus Clark, 1921 Holothuria duoturricula Cherbonnier, 1988 Holothuria glandifera Cherbonnier, 1955 Holothuria immobilis Semper, 1868 Holothuria insignis Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria lineata Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria multipilula Liao, 1975 Holothuria pardalis Selenka, 1867 Holothuria tuberculata Thandar, 2007 Holothuria verrucosa Selenka, 1867
  • Subgenus Mertensiothuria Deichmann, 1958 Holothuria albofusca Cherbonnier, 1988 Holothuria aphanes Lampert, 1885 Holothuria artensis Cherbonnier & Féral, 1984 Holothuria fuscorubra Théel, 1886 Holothuria hilla Lesson, 1830 Holothuria isuga Mitsukuri, 1912 Holothuria viridiaurantia Borrero-Pérez & Vanegas-González, 2019
  • Subgenus Metriatyla Rowe, 1969 Holothuria aculeata Semper, 1868 Holothuria albiventer Semper, 1868 Holothuria alex Samyn in Samyn & Vandenspiegel, 2016 Holothuria brauni Helfer, 1912 Holothuria conica Clark, 1938 Holothuria cyrielle Vandenspiegel in Samyn & Vandenspiegel, 2016 Holothuria horrida Massin, 1987 Holothuria keesingi O'Loughlin in O'Loughlin et al., 2016 Holothuria lessoni Massin, Uthicke, Purcell, Rowe, Samyn, 2009 Holothuria martensii Semper, 1868 Holothuria submersa Sluiter, 1901 Holothuria tortonesei Cherbonnier, 1979
  • Subgenus Microthele Brandt, 1835 Holothuria fuscogilva Cherbonnier, 1980 Holothuria fuscopunctata Jaeger, 1833
  • Subgenus Panningothuria Rowe, 1969 Holothuria austrinabassa O'Loughlin, 2007
  • Subgenus Platyperona Rowe, 1969 Holothuria crosnieri Cherbonnier, 1988 Holothuria difficilis Semper, 1868 Holothuria excellens (Ludwig, 1875) Holothuria insolita Cherbonnier, 1988 Holothuria parvula (Selenka, 1867) Holothuria rowei Pawson & Gust, 1981 Holothuria samoana Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria sanctori Delle Chiaje, 1823
  • Subgenus Roweothuria Thandar, 1988 Holothuria arguinensis Koehler & Vaney, 1906 Holothuria poli Delle Chiaje, 1824 Holothuria vemae Thandar, 1988
  • Subgenus Selenkothuria Deichmann, 1958 Holothuria bacilla Cherbonnier, 1988 Holothuria carere Honey-Escandón, Solís-Marín & Laguarda-Figueras, 2011 Holothuria erinacea Semper, 1868 Holothuria glaberrima Selenka, 1867 Holothuria lubrica Selenka, 1867 Holothuria mactanensis Tan Tiu, 1981 Holothuria moebii Ludwig, 1883 Holothuria parva Krauss in Lampert, 1885 Holothuria parvispinea Massin, 2013 Holothuria portovallartensis Caso, 1954 Holothuria sinica Liao, 1980 Holothuria theeli Deichmann, 1938 Holothuria vittalonga Cherbonnier, 1988
  • Subgenus Semperothuria Deichmann, 1958 Holothuria granosa Cherbonnier, 1988 Holothuria imitans Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria languens Selenka, 1867 Holothuria roseomaculata Kerr, 2013 Holothuria surinamensis Ludwig, 1875
  • Subgenus Stauropora Rowe, 1969 Holothuria aemula Sluiter, 1914 Holothuria anulifera Fisher, 1907 Holothuria bo Samyn in Samyn & Vandenspiegel, 2016 Holothuria discrepans Semper, 1868 Holothuria dofleinii Augustin, 1908 Holothuria fuscocinerea Jaeger, 1833 Holothuria hawaiiensis Fisher, 1907 Holothuria mitis Sluiter, 1901 Holothuria modesta Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria olivacea Ludwig, 1888 Holothuria pervicax Selenka, 1867 Holothuria pluricuriosa Deichmann, 1937
  • Subgenus Stichothuria Cherbonnier, 1980 Holothuria coronopertusa Cherbonnier, 1980
  • Subgenus Theelothuria Deichmann, 1958 Holothuria asperita Cherbonnier & Féral, 1981 Holothuria cadelli Bell, 1887 Holothuria duoturriforma Thandar, 2007 Holothuria foresti Cherbonnier & Féral, 1981 Holothuria hamata Pearson, 1913 Holothuria imperator Deichmann, 1930 Holothuria klunzingeri Lampert, 1885 Holothuria kurti Ludwig, 1891 Holothuria longicosta Thandar, 2007 Holothuria maculosa Pearson, 1913 Holothuria michaelseni Erwe, 1913 Holothuria notabilis Ludwig, 1875 Holothuria paraprinceps Deichmann, 1937 Holothuria princeps Selenka, 1867 Holothuria pseudonotabilis Thandar, 2007 Holothuria spinifera Théel, 1886 Holothuria squamifera Semper, 1868 Holothuria turriscelsa Cherbonnier, 1980
  • Subgenus Thymiosycia Pearson, 1914 Holothuria altaturricula Cherbonnier & Féral, 1984 Holothuria arenicola Semper, 1868 Holothuria conusalba Cherbonnier & Féral, 1984 Holothuria gracilis Semper, 1868 Holothuria impatiens (Forskål, 1775) Holothuria macroperona Clark, 1938 Holothuria marginata Sluiter, 1901 Holothuria milloti Cherbonnier, 1988 Holothuria minax Théel, 1886 Holothuria remollescens Lampert, 1885 Holothuria strigosa Selenka, 1867 Holothuria thomasi Pawson & Caycedo, 1980 Holothuria truncata Lampert, 1885 Holothuria unicolor Selenka, 1867 Holothuria zihuatanensis Caso, 1964
  • Subgenus Vaneyothuria Pearson, 1914 Holothuria integra Koehler & Vaney, 1908 Holothuria lentiginosa Marenzeller von, 1892 Holothuria sinefibula Cherbonnier, 1964 Holothuria suspecta Cherbonnier, 1958 Holothuria uncia Rowe, 1989 Holothuria zacae Deichmann, 1937
  • Subgenus incertae sedis (uncertain placement) Holothuria arenacava Samyn, Massin & Muthiga, 2001 Holothuria atra Jaeger, 1833 Holothuria cinerascens (Brandt, 1835) Holothuria edulis Lesson, 1830 Holothuria flavomaculata Semper, 1868 Holothuria forskali Delle Chiaje, 1823 Holothuria kefersteinii (Selenka, 1867) Holothuria leucospilota (Brandt, 1835) Holothuria nobilis (Selenka, 1867) Holothuria platei Ludwig, 1898 Holothuria pyxoides Ludwig, 1888 Holothuria scabra Jaeger, 1833 Holothuria whitmaei Bell, 1887