Neopsolidium kerguelensis (Théel 1886) Theel 1886
- Dataset
- BANZARE holothuroids (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Echinodermata
- class
- Holothuroidea
- order
- Dendrochirotida
- family
- Psolidae
- genus
- Neopsolidium
- species
- Neopsolidium kerguelensis
description
Trachythyone ekmani. — Cherbonnier, 1974 b: 29.
diagnosis
Diagnosis. Up to 55 mm long (excluding tentacles); body wall firm, leathery; distinct rounded belly with sole ventrally, rounded dorsally, tapered distally, distinct tail; 10 dendritic tentacles, ventral 2 smaller; smaller tube feet of variable size over dorsal and lateral body, anterior and posterior ends; 3 ventral radial series of larger tube feet on sole, each up to 4 rows wide, interradii narrow, bare on sole, not anteriorly or posteriorly; series of tube feet do not cross introvert; distinct, thin calcareous ring, radial and interradial plates elongate, narrow anteriorly, wide with rounded notch posteriorly; single polian vesicle; unbranched gonad tubules. Mid-dorsal and mid-ventral body wall ossicles plates and cups; plates irregularly round to oval, perforated, knobbed, some with incipient secondary layering, up to 640 µ m long; cups not abundant, variable in size and form and spination, 40 – 144 µ m long, shallow to deep concave, typically 4 perforations, marginal “ spines ” pointed or knobbed or digitiform.
discussion
Remarks. The specimens examined here accord closely with the description of Cucumaria kerguelensis by Théel (1886) except that his largest specimen was 75 mm long (no record of tentacles included or not, and whether preserved or not), and cupped crosses only were reported (not cups). But Théel did record the presence of small plates with few perforations and presumably these were shallow concave plates / cups, as the cupped crosses that develop into cups were observed. He noted that the larger plates were composed of “ several layers ”. Presumably this referred to the strongly developed incipient secondary layering seen in this study. Ludwig & Heding (1935) distinguished their new species Cucumaria (Semperia) ekmani (type locality Kerguelen Is) from Cucumaria kerguelensis by the form of the calcareous ring, and the form of the cupped crosses and cups. The variations in form seen in this study of abundant material from the Kerguelen Is does not support these diagnostic distinctions. Cucumaria ekmani is a junior synonym of Cucumaria kerguelensis.
distribution
Distribution. Marion I., 52 – 351 m (Massin 1992 b); Kerguelen Is, littoral to 55 m; Heard I., 60 – 528 m.
materials_examined
Material examined. Kerguelen I., Royal Sound, Port Jeanne d’Arc, 20 m, BANZARE stn 5, SAM K 2369 (1); entrance to Bras Bossière, 4 – 5 m, sandy bottom, Macrocystis holdfasts, stn 6, SAM K 2376 (1); 55 m, stn 15, SAM K 2372 (11); S of Kerguelen I., 50 m, stn 47, SAM K 2378 (2); SAM K 2380 (1); Kerguelen I., shore collection and 20 – 30 m, stn 52, SAM K 2370 (2); shore collection, stn 54, SAM K 2373 (9); shore collection and 4 – 6 m, stn 56 a, SAM K 2371 (14); shore collection, stn 56 b, SAM K 2374 (2); 45 m, stn 59, SAM K 2368 (1). Heard I., 90 m, SAM K 2304 (1); 62 – 80 m, NMV F 84997 (1); 230 – 247 m, NMV F 85002 (1); 514 – 528 m, NMV F 85003 (1); 60 m, NMV F 85004 (1).