206 ^^s Philippine Journal of Science 1917 



nyeow sam, valued at 75 pesos per picul. The following com- 

 mercial varieties and grades are recognized by the merchants 

 in Zamboanga and Jolo: 



Oh nyeoiv sam {Plate IV, fig. 1). — Great black trepang, bot 

 uac of the Zamboanga Moros. This is a large, comparatively 

 smooth trepang, vi^ithout prickles or teats. When dry, large 

 specimens measure from 15 to 20 centimeters in length by about 

 7 centimeters in diameter. They are found on sandy bottoms 

 near reefs in water 15 fathoms or less in depth. This is the 

 most valuable of all Philippine trepang, selling for as much as 

 1.50 pesos for a single specimen. 



Thang nyeow sam (Plate IV, fig. 3). — Sandy-bellied black tre- 

 pang, hot calang. This trepang resembles the oh nyeow sam, 

 but is easily distinguished by the fact that the belly is roughened 

 as if covered with coarse black sand; the back is also more cor- 

 rugated and the body more nearly oval than the oh nyeow sam. 

 This species is found in shallow water near reefs throughout the 

 Archipelago. It prefers a sandy bottom. The following prices 

 are paid for this trepang: Large {toa), 90 pesos per picul; me- 

 dium (tiong), 75 pesos per picul; and small (liow), 50 pesos 

 per picul. 



Buoy hwah sam (Plate IV, fig. 2). — Long-prickled trepang, 

 hot calang. It is almost impossible to distinguish this form 

 from the che sam, except that it is smaller and the prickles, 

 which cover the entire body except the belly, are longer. The 

 body when dry is black, the prickles are long, and there may be 

 from three to five prickles from one base. The dry specimen 

 is from 4 to 14 centimeters long. This ranks second in value 

 am.ong Philippine trepang, being worth as much as 1 peso a 

 specimen. The following values are quoted for the different 

 grades : Large, 120 pesos per picul ; medium, 70 pesos per picul ; 

 small, 50 pesos per picul. 



Gan sam (Plate IV, fig. J^) . — Great teat trepang, or great oval 

 brown trepang, hot hato. This is one of the commonest Phil- 

 ippine trepang. It is easily distinguished by the two rows of 

 teats on each side of the body. The body wall of this species is 

 very thick. • The adults are from 11 to 18 centimeters in length. 

 They live in water from 1 to 10 meters in depth and are most 

 often found among scattered rocks on a sandy bottom. The ani- 

 mals of this variety are always split open, and cross sticks are 

 inserted to facilitate the drying. The large size sells for 70 

 pesos per picul ; medium, 50 pesos per picul ; small, 35 pesos per 

 picul. 



Oe sam (Plate IV, fig. 5). — Great smooth black trepang, hot 



