DiscoverSpeciesOther invertebrates
Robust Sea Cucumber
Colochirus robustus
- Usual depth16–150 m
- Water temperature26–29 °C
- Best monthsJanuary, March, and December
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Nicola Crockford, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Colochirus robustus, commonly known as the robust sea cucumber or the yellow sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Cucumariidae. It is found in shallow seas in tropical parts of the central Indo-Pacific region. C. robustus belongs to the class Holothuroidea, a group of echinoderms called sea cucumbers and known for unusual behavior including evisceration, asexual reproduction, and regeneration. The robust sea cucumber has a soft body and lacks a spine, but it does have an endoskeleton consisting of microscopic spicules, or ossicles, made of calcium carbonate. C. robustus has a respiratory tree that allows it to extract oxygen for respiration, using the anus to pump water. The robust sea cucumber is an important dietary staple for many East and Southeast Asian populations, and has been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. Recent research suggests that peptides from C. robustus enhance the activity of the immune system.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Colochirus robustus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 40 records
- February: 19 records
- March: 37 records
- April: 24 records
- May: 32 records
- June: 17 records
- July: 28 records
- August: 21 records
- September: 23 records
- October: 27 records
- November: 21 records
- December: 35 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 16–150 m · Deepest record: 150 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 26–29 °C
Photos
(c) Gregor Bailar, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Bernard Picton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Piotr Lukasik, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Nicola Crockford, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Piotr Lukasik, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) libby hepburn, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Paolo Co, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Robust Sea Cucumber, Yellow Sea Cucumber
Names in 1 more languages
- Simplified Chinese
- 強壯翼手參, 強壯翼手參（黃海參）
Other scientific names: Colochirus luteus, Colochirus robustoides, Colochirus squamatus, Pentacta robustus
Similar species
Four-seded Sea CucumberColochirus quadrangularis
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 71 open-data records from 1899 to 2015.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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