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Holothuria atra

Rori Toto

Blood Sea-cucumber

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult, Rarotonga	24KB
Image:	Adult, Guam	93KB
Image:	Asexual reproduction by transverse fission	58KB
Image:	Whole animal with tentacles withdrawn	30KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Blood Sea-cucumber, Lollyfish, Black Sea-cucumber

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Rori Toto / One-tea (RR), Rori One (MG), Rori Toto / Kirikiri (AT), Rori Toto / Rori Kirikiri (MK MT), Rori Toto (AK), Loli (TS RK), Rori (TW)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore, Moat, lagoon shallow, reef-slope shallow

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Cultural, Subsistence Food, Beche-de-mer; Poisonous skin - in cuts and to fishes

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
	^P	^P	^P		^++++

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			P

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Holothuria atra Jaeger, 1833
SYNONYMS: Holothuria (Halodeima) atra

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ECHINODERMATA; ELEUTHEROZOA; HOLOTHUROIDEA; Aspidochirota; HOLOTHURIIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Cultural, Subsistence Food, Beche-de-mer. Comments: Sometimes used to obtain the matu (ripe reproductive organs) on Rarotonga. Sometimes used by fishermen to drive fish out of holes in the reef - the seacumumber is scratched to release skin toxins and pushed into the hole. Exported from some countries, including the Cook Islands, as a low-grade Beche-de-mer. (mid-1990 - 4US$/kg)
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Poisonous skin - in cuts and to fishes

GENERAL NOTE: Can reproduce by transverse fission, as can Stichopus chloronotus. A method of reproduction called fissiparous.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Atiu: field-specimen, College collection, 10/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: field-specimen, College collection, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Aitutaki: field-specimen, NBSAP School, 12/2000, ID GM. Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Holothuria atra.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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