Additions to the holothuroid fauna of the southern African temperate faunistic provinces, with descriptions of new species
Author
Thandar, Ahmed S.
text
Zootaxa
2008
2008-02-05
1697
1
1
57
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1697.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.1697.1.1
11755334
5107079
Pseudocnella insolens
(
Théel, 1886
)
Figure 9
Cucumaria insolens
Théel, 1886:760
, pl. 4, fig. 5.
Pseudocnella insolens
Thandar, 1987:129
(syn. & records), figs.1d and 14f; 1991:129, figs. 1d &
14f.
Type
: NHML.
Type
locality
Simon’s Bay
,
WCP
,
18-36 m
.
Material examined
Typical form
SAM-A27993,
UCT
Ecol. Survey,
Saldanha Bay
,
St. SB
174, 33
o
2.8' S,
18
o
0.6' E
,
15 m
,
27.iv.1959
,
3 spec.
,
SAM-A27994, St.
SCD 197
,
34
o
7.5' S
,
23
o
31.7' E
,
79 m
, dredge,
29.ix.1960
,
1 spec.
, SAM-A27995, RV ‘Africana’, Hake Biomass Survey, A14826.111.082.287,
34
o
08' S
,
23
o
51' E
,
94 m
, bottom trawl,
3.v.1993
,
17 spec.
Atypical form 1
SAM-A27996,
UCT
Ecol. Surv. St.
SCD 195
,
34
o
7.5' S
,
23
o
31.7' E
,
29.xi.
1960
, 79 m,
14 spec
;
SAM-
A27997
,
St.
SCD 226
,
34
o
21' S
,
22
o
50' E
,
29.xi.
1960
, 79 m,
17 spec
;
SAM-A27998,
St.
SCD
177,
34
o
7.5' S,
23
o
31.7' E
,
30.xi.
1960
, 110 m,
3 spec
;
SAM-A27999, R.V. ‘
Africana’ South
Coast
Inshore Biomass and
Horse Mackerel Survey, St. A
15259.116.075.2254,
34
o
21' S
,
22
o
50' E
,
18.ix.
1993
, 89 m,
30 spec
;
SAM- A28000, R.V. ‘
Africana’ South
Coast
Hake Biomass Survey, St. A.
14814.111.070.2254,
34
o
20' S
,
23
o
31' E
,
1.v.
1993
, 94 m,
7 spec
;
SAM-A28001, R.V. ‘
Africana’ South
Coast
Demersal Biomass Survey, St. A
18130.135.059.22851,
34
o
06' S
,
23
o
49' E
,
25.iv.
1996
, 91 m,
3 spec.
Atypical form 2
SAM-A28002, R.V. ‘
Africana’ South
Coast
Biomass Survey
,
St A
18130.135.059.2285,
34
o
06' S
,
23
o
49' E
,
25.iv.
1996
, 91 m,
10 spec
;
SAM-A28003, R.V. ‘
Africana’ South
Coast
Biomass Survey, St. A
18141.135- 064.2295,
34
o
11' S
,
24
o
32' E
,
26.iv.
1996
, 91 m,
14 spec
;
SAM-A28004, SS ‘
Pieter Faure’
,
St. PF
1938,
Cape
St. Blaize, NW
N
30 miles
,
22.xii.
1899
, 95 m,
7 spec
;
SAM-A28005, probably off
Cape
Point, 1900, no further data,
38 spec.
Atypical form 3
SAM-A28006, R.V. ‘
Africana’ South
Coast
Biomass Survey, St.A
18130.135.059.2285,
34 06' S
,
23
o
49' E
,
34 06' S
,
23
o
49' E
,
25.iv.
1996
, 91 m,
2 spec.
Distribution: Luderitz,
Namibia
to Port Elizabeth,
ECP
,
0-
110 m
.
Remarks:
This well-known southern African temperate endemic, has been described several times (a.o.
Théel 1886
,
Cherbonnier 1952
,
Thandar 1987
). A brief history of its confused taxonomic status was presented by
Thandar (1987)
who also clarified the status of the other related southern African endemics,
P. sykion
and
P. sinorbis
, erecting the genus
Pseudocnella
to accommodate them and the Mediterranean
P. syracusana
.
Thandar (1987
,
1991
) recorded its vertical distribution as
0-
40 m
. The current SAM materials, previously studied by
Natasen Moodley (2000)
, come from depths up to
110 m
.
This species is said to be a brood-protecting but brood pouches have this far only been detected and described by
Cherbonnier (1952)
, in material taken from shallow waters of Simon’s Bay and False Bay (
WCP
) and verified by
Thandar (1987)
in the Simon’s Bay material. Despite the study of numerous (438) specimens by
Thandar (1987)
from shallow waters, and by
Natasen Moodley (2000)
(
192 specimens
) from deeper waters, no further specimens with brood pouches were detected. This raises the question whether we are dealing with a polytypic species, like
Thyonina articulata
(see above). In fact,
Natasen Moodley (2000)
, on the basis of variations in the large plates of the body wall and in the podial and tentacle deposits, recognizes four forms of the species, including the typical form. Her observations are summarized in
Table 1
and illustrated in
Figure 9
. However, before any steps are taken to separate the different forms, some information is needed on age and depth variations, habits/habitat preferences and aspects of ecology, biochemistry and molecular biology. Such studies are beyond the scope of this paper.