Revision of the genus Phyrella (Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida) with the description of a new species from Guam
Author
Michonneau, François
Author
Paulay, Gustav
text
Zootaxa
2014
2014-01-31
3760
2
101
140
journal article
5952
10.11646/zootaxa.3760.2.1
7ba5f9ac-4317-459f-9829-2975de0a42ff
1175-5326
4908324
C0E4CA6E-6D93-477E-99F6-14FFB652A2A7
Phyrella trapeza
(
Clark, 1932
)
Figures 1–3
;
27 d,e
Phyllophorus trapezus
Clark, 1932: 224–226
, text-fig. 4–9.
Holotype
: BMNH 1932.4.28.177; type locality:
Low Isles
,
Queensland
,
Australia
Phyrella trapeza:
Heding & Panning, 1954: 182–183
, fig. 87
Material examined:
MCZ
HOL1488
(
2 paratypes
),
Australia
,
Queensland
, 1/
4 mile
South of Cape Kimberley
, 4 fathoms,
2 December 1928
, coll.
H.L. Clark.
Description based on the
paratypes
.
External morphology.
Paratype
A with thin, transparent, very relaxed body wall (
Fig. 1
, bottom); B with thick leathery, contracted body wall (
Fig. 1
, top). Tube feet dispersed across entire body, denser toward anterior and posterior, less dense than in other
Phyrella
; generally same color as body wall, except some tube feet darker on venter. Body wall uniformly light brown (
paratype
A) to dark brown with some lighter areas (
paratype
B). Body arched, both specimens
35 mm
along the dorsum,
45 mm
along venter, and
13 mm
(B)
vs.
15 mm
(A) wide. Introvert lighter color than rest of body,
6 mm
(A) and
8 mm
(B) in length, retracted and partially dissected in both specimens. With 16 tentacles varying in size, 10 on the outer circle and 6 on the inner circle (A)
vs.
9 on the outer circle large and 7 on the inner circle (B); larger tentacles ~
5 mm
, shorter tentacles ~
2 mm
long in
paratype
A (poorly preserved in B). Cloacal area missing in both specimens, probably removed for ossicle preparation by previous workers.
Internal anatomy.
Polian vesicle, single, contracted,
6–7 mm
long,
1 mm
wide, tube-shaped. Stone canal short (<
2 mm
), with a slight orange coloration, embedded in dorsal mesentery; madreporite small (<
1 mm
), partially attached to membrane surrounding the calcareous ring (
paratype
A), missing in
paratype
B. Gonads in two
8–10 mm
long tufts, composed of simple, unbranched,
3–4 mm
long tubes. Both specimens eviscerated. Respiratory trees extending almost entire length of animals, bunches more developed in specimens with thick body wall.
Calcareous ring.
Calcareous ring
8 mm
(A),
10 mm
(B) long, 6 (A) 8 (B) mm wide (
Fig. 27d, e
), embedded in thin and transparent membrane. Radials with 5–8, and inter-radials with 10–12 elements. Anterior margins of radial plates unequally divided by well-formed notches. Anterior margins of inter-radial plates arrow-head shaped. Radials and inter-radials closely associated along most of their lengths. Radials project posteriorly forming tails that curve to point anteriorly.
FIGURE 1.
Paratypes of
Phyrella trapeza
MCZ HOL1488
. Lateral view. Scale bar, 1 cm.
Ossicle assemblage.
Dorsal and ventral body wall
with tables only. Tables variable; disc
80-500
µ
m in diameter, most with complete rim, with smooth, circular to slightly rectangular outline contoured around marginal perforations, with 8–10 holes in a marginal ring (
Fig 2b, f, l, m
); irregular tables with 1–3 additional holes peripheral to these (
Fig 2d, i, j, k
); spire variably developed, often absent in tables from
paratype
A, but usually developed in B, with four (rarely five) pillars connected by a single cross-beam, giving rise to a relatively narrow, thin, slightly spiny crown; crown usually forming a complete ring, with a
6–15
µ
m central opening. Podia with elongate, perforated plates,
140–155
µ
m long,
40–80
µ
m wide, with holes smaller toward periphery or of relatively constant size throughout (
Fig
2g
, h, n, o
); well-developed end plate.
Cloacal region body wall
(
paratype
B) with tables and abundant rosettes (
Fig. 12B
). Tables variable; disc
80–125
µ
m in diameter; regular tables similar to those of dorsal and ventral body wall (
Fig 2A
); irregular tables with incomplete rims and additional holes (
Fig 2w–z
), some with spiny lateral projections that connect to the spire (
Fig 2x, y
). Rosettes abundant,
20–30
µ
m long. Podia with few reduced perforated plates,
100–130
µ
m long,
60–70
µ
m wide (
Fig 2B, C
).
Introvert
(
paratype
B) with tables and rosettes. Table discs
85–105
µ
m in diameter, with 11–13 peripheral holes (
Fig 2p–r
) and smooth margins; crown often incomplete (
Fig 2p, r
), typically wider and larger than in body wall tables. Rosettes
30–55
µ
m long (
Fig 3
). Podia with few perforated plates (
Fig 2s–v
).
Tentacles
(
paratype
B) with large (
80–125
µ
m) rods with slightly branching ends, (
Fig 2D
), and small (
15–65
µ
m) simple rods with simple ends (
Fig 2E
).
FIGURE 2.
Ossicle assemblage of
Phyrella trapeza
(MCZ HOL1488, thick body wall). a–h: tables (a–f) and perforated plates (g–h) from mid-dorsal body wall; i–o: tables (i–m) and perforated plates (n–o) from mid-ventral body wall; p–v: tables (q–r) and perforated plates (s–v) from introvert; w–z; A–C: tables (w–z, A) and perforated plates (B–C) from cloacal region; D–E: rods from tentacles.
FIGURE 3.
Rosettes from introvert of
Phyrella trapeza
MCZ HOL1488
. Scale bar, 20
µ
m.
Remarks.
Clark (1932)
noted the similarity between
P. trapeza
and
P. fragilis
.
It can be distinguished from
P. fragilis
and other
Phyrella
species
by less abundant and smaller podia, relatively large holes in the disc of the tables, perforated plates with barely serrated margins.
P. trapeza
is the
type
species of
Phyrella
.
Ecology and distribution.
This species is currently only known from the type material, collected in
Queensland
,
Australia
, from Low Isles (
holotype
) and Cape Kimberley (
paratypes
).
Paratypes
were collected by dredging, on a bottom of shells and gravels 4 fathoms (~
7.5 m
) deep.