About Stichopus herrmanni Semper, 1868
Stichopus herrmanni is a large species of sea cucumber that can grow up to 50 cm (20 in) long. It has a cylindrical body with a flat sole. Its body wall is rough and wrinkled, lacking large swellings, but bears orange-brown conical fleshy protuberances called papillae. Its mouth is surrounded by 8 to 16 feeding tentacles, and short tube feet are present on its sole. The color of this sea cucumber is variable: in some locations it is greyish-brown, greenish-brown, or sandy-brown, while in other locations it is mustard-yellow, orange-brown, or a mix of green and brown. Stichopus herrmanni occurs in the tropical western Indo-Pacific region, with a range that extends from the east coast of Africa to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia. It lives on sand and mud substrates, in seagrass meadows, and on rubble, at depths down to approximately 25 m (80 ft). There is a commercial fishery for this species in Indonesia and northern Australia. It is called "curryfish", a common name that also applies to two other species, Stichopus vastus and Stichopus ocellatus, and landings of all three species are recorded as a single group. This species was not harvested in the past because its flesh disintegrates easily, but modern processing methods allow for better handling, and it is now a high-value product. In Queensland, a legal minimum harvest length of 35 cm (14 in) is enforced.
