New dendrochirotid sea cucumbers from northern Australia (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida)
Author
P. Mark O’Loughlin
Author
Melanie Mackenzie
Author
Didier Vandenspiegel
text
Memoirs of Museum Victoria
2014
2014-12-31
72
5
23
journal article
29824
10.5281/zenodo.1298027
b234abf6-4127-4bbe-a4da-07eb7316d36b
1447-2554
1298027
Triasemperia
O’Loughlin
gen. nov.
Zoobank LSID.
http://zoobank.org:act:5140E273-FE8D-4F8A-
A66D-F94B74771FE8
Diagnosis.
Dendrochirotid species with mouth anterior, anus posterior, lacking anal teeth; tube feet scattered over body; 20 dendritic tentacles, 15 large, 5 inner small; calcareous ring composite, comprising small calcareous pieces, radial and inter-radial composite plates adjoin to create tubular ring, radial plates elongate with thin posterior distal prolongations adjoining inter-radial plate elongations, radial plates with median division for most of the length, inter-radial plates with deep posterior notch; ossicles throughout the body wall tables, discs triangular, typically with 6 large marginal knobs and 6 small perforations, spires with three pillars; tentacles with rods, rosettes, few tables.
Type species.
Triasemperia
stola
O’Loughlin
sp.
nov.
(monotypic).
Figure 7. Holotype specimen of
Massinium
keesingi
O’Loughlin
sp. nov.
(NMV F203008). A, dorsal view of preserved holotype (40 mm long); B, ventral view of preserved holotype; C, sketch of dorso-lateral view of the holotype; insert with sketch of the calcareous ring; D, photo of the calcareous ring of the holotype.
Etymology
. From the Greek
tria
(three), referring to the three pillars of the table spires, with
semperia
, referring to the subfamily
Semperiellinae
and in turn to the esteemed biologist Carl Gottfried Semper.
Remarks
. The new genus
Triasemperia
is referred to the subfamily
Semperiellinae
on the bases of the presence of 20 dendritic tentacles and composite tubular calcareous ring. The new genus is distinguished from the other genera of the
Semperiellinae
by the presence of table spires with three pillars.