According to records, there are about 1 100 species of sea cucumber in the world, and there are about 120 species in China, most of which are inedible. According to statistics, there are 40 kinds of edible sea cucumbers in the world. Edible sea cucumbers account for half of China, reaching 20 species.

According to whether there are conical wart feet on the back of sea cucumbers, they can be divided into "Stichopus japonicus" and "Stichopus japonicus". Among them, "Stichopus japonicus" is mainly the species of Stichopus japonicus, and "Stichopus japonicus" is mainly the species of Stichopus japonicus, Cucurbitaceae and Apocynaceae.

1. Stichopus japonicus: Stichopus japonicus.

The family Stichopus Japonicus includes Stichopus Japonicus, Stichopus Japonicus, Stichopus Japonicus and Stichopus Japonicus.

Stichopus japonicus is also called imitation Stichopus japonicus, Stichopus japonicus, Stichopus japonicus and sea rat, also called Stichopus japonicus. It is 20-40 cm long, cylindrical and has 4-6 rows of irregular conical spines (called wart feet) on its back. The ventral surface is flat, and the tube feet are dense, which are arranged in three rows of irregular longitudinal bands, and are used for adsorbing rocks or crawling. The mouth is located at the front end, biased towards the ventral surface, with 20 lintel antennae, and the anus is biased towards the back; The skin is sticky and muscular, and the body can stretch or curl. The size, color and number of stings usually vary according to the living environment. The water in the habitat is slow and stable, there is no fresh water injection, and the fine sand seabed and rock reef bottom rich in algae come out at night. Sleep when the water temperature is high in summer; When the environment is not suitable, the phenomenon of sewage discharge occurs; Strong regeneration ability, can be regenerated after being damaged or cut. Stichopus japonicus is distributed in the coastal areas of Shandong, Liaoning and Hebei, mainly in Weihai, Yantai, Dalian and Changshan Island. The fishing period is from 165438+ 10 to June of the following year, especially in June and 65438+February, and July-September is the summer sleeping season for sea cucumber. Sea cucumber is one of the best quality sea cucumbers with thick and soft walls, and is known as the "crown of ginseng".

Plum ginseng is also called pineapple ginseng. The body length is generally 60-75cm, the longest is1.2m, the width is about10cm, and the height is about 8cm. It is the largest species of sea cucumber. The posterior spine is very large, and the base of every 3- 1 1 spine is connected into a plum blossom shape, hence the name "Meihuashan". It is also called "pineapple ginseng" because it looks like a pineapple. Bone fragments in the skin are very simple, one is tiny, overlapping and dense granular bodies; The other is an irregular X-shape, slender and branched 2-3 times. When living, the body color is gorgeous, and the back is orange-yellow or orange-red, with yellow and brown spots scattered; The abdomen is reddish; The tentacles are yellow. Habitat in coral sand bottom with water depth of 3- 10 m; Distributed in the southwest Pacific Ocean, mainly produced in Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. It is big, thick and of good quality. It is the best edible sea cucumber in Nanhai, China.

Qinghai ginseng is also called square column ginseng and square sea cucumber; Stichopus japonicus, also known as yellow stichopus japonicus, white stichopus japonicus and square stichopus japonicus, is a very common edible sea cucumber in the South China Sea, with high yield and too tender.

2. Ginseng: Holothuriaceae

The family Holothuridae includes nine species of sea cucumbers, which is the most diverse family:

White ginseng with pattern is also called white melon ginseng, white milk ginseng and two-spot ginseng. It is fat, almost equal in width at both ends, and looks like wax gourd. Its body color changes greatly when it lives, and its background color is white or light yellow. The back is slightly yellowish brown, and there is a reddish-brown horizontal spot on the front and back, so it is called "Erbanshen". It is a large edible sea cucumber with thick and tender meat.

Serpentine white ginseng is also called tiger fish, leopard fish and grouper. Its back is dark gray, with yellow serpentine stripes and irregular vertical lines. It lives in the sand bottom of tropical coral reefs with a small amount of algae, with a water depth of 6-18m and tender meat.

Radial anal ginseng is also called stone ginseng and cucumber ginseng; Radial anal ginseng with white background is also called boots ginseng and red melon ginseng. Black ass anal ginseng is also called black ginseng. These three kinds of sea cucumbers are large edible sea cucumbers living in Xisha Islands, Nansha Islands and other sea areas, with good quality but low yield.

In addition, there are black sea cucumber, jade foot sea cucumber, black milk sea cucumber and rough sea cucumber, all of which are common edible sea cucumbers in the South China Sea with poor quality.

3. Ginseng: Cucurbitaceae

Cucurbitaceae includes three cucurbitaceae, namely Squamous Cucurbitaceae, Naked Cucurbitaceae and Tumorous Cucurbitaceae, all of which have poor edible quality because of their hard body walls.

4. Ginseng: Araliaceae

Araliaceae includes melon and Stichopus japonicus;

Alocasia esculenta, also known as eggplant and sea eggplant, is very similar to sweet potato in shape and color, so this kind of sea cucumber is called "Alocasia esculenta". The body is spindle-shaped, generally 4- 12 cm long. When alive, the body is red and the body wall is thin and translucent. After drying, the back is brown and black, and the abdomen is light brown. The quality is poor, but the price is low Many restaurants use it as a sea cucumber menu, which can help people improve the quality of dishes and confuse people.

Sea cudgel, also known as sea rat, has a smooth surface and no tube feet or thorns. When living, its body is grayish brown or yellowish brown, its body wall is thin and translucent, and its longitudinal muscles and internal organs have a little perspective, so its edible value is low.

Origin of sea cucumber:

Broadly speaking, sea cucumbers are produced in the northern and southern waters of China, but the north and the south are in different categories. The farther south, the more kinds of sea cucumbers there are; The farther north, the better the quality of sea cucumber. As far as sea cucumber is concerned, it is mainly produced in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea. In addition, the sea area north of the Tumen River estuary in eastern Jilin Province to Russian sea cucumber is also an important producing area in the past.

Characteristics of sea cucumber: high ash content.