The general colour is a shade of brown and the surface is covered with numerous dark-coloured, conical, thornlike projections known as papillae.

[3][4] Holothuria tubulosa is found in temperate regions of the eastern Atlantic Ocean as far north as the Bay of Biscay and in the Mediterranean Sea, where it is abundant.

In a study in the Mediterranean Sea, a mass spawning event was observed in the afternoons of the two days in August 2003 that coincided with the full moon.

Large numbers of mature individuals simultaneously adopted the spawning position, rearing their anterior ends up and leaving only the hind third of their body in contact with the seabed.

Next, a smaller number of individuals, believed to be female, emitted a more viscous fluid, perhaps in response to the release of the male gametes.

[6] Along with Parastichopus regalis, Holothuria tubulosa is the preferred host of Carapus acus, which shares a commensal association with the sea cucumber.