A review of pygal-furrowed Synallactidae (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), with new species from the Antarctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans
Author
O'Loughlin, P. Mark
Author
Ahearn, Cynthia
text
Memoirs of Museum Victoria
2005
2005-12-31
62
2
147
179
https://museumsvictoria.com.au/collections-research/journals/memoirs-of-museum-victoria/volume-62-issue-2-2005/pages-147-179/
journal article
10.24199/j.mmv.2005.62.5
1447-2554
12208025
Molpadiodemas ustulatus
sp. nov.
Figures
6m
–p
,
7a–c
,
12q–t
Material examined
.
Holotype
.
South-east Pacific Ocean
,
Peru
,
Peru-Chile Trench
,
8°48'S
,
80°40'W
,
5069–5173 m
,
RV
Anton Bruun
,
Cr
11 stn 178,
3 Nov 1965
,
USNM 1022493
.
Paratypes
. Type locality and date,
USNM 1022566
(3)
;
NMV
F101858
(1).
Description
. Up to
73 mm
long; form cylindrical, narrowly elongate, slightly dorsoventrally depressed (possible artefact), lacking brim; outer body wall soft, pustulose, wrinkled; inner body wall soft, thin, semi-gelatinous; close cover of small cylindrical tube feet all over body, extended but not erect, longest and most evident in lateral band, not matted, up to 1.0 mm long, typically
0.6 mm
long,
0.2 mm
diameter; ossicles in tentacles and gonad; tentacle ossicles abundant smooth rods, thick to thin, straight to curved, some with central swellings, some with short branches, some with intertwined joined ends creating large and small perforations, some irregularly tuberous, up to at least 270 Μm long; gonad ossicles numerous thick to thin smooth rods, some lateral branches fused to form mesh with large perforations, fragments up to 280 Μm long.
Colour
. Body and tube feet very dark brown.
Etymology
. From the Latin
ustulatus
(scorched), referring to the dark brown blistered appearance of the specimens.
Distribution
. South-east Pacific Ocean, Peru-Chile Trench,
5069–5173 m
.
Remarks
. The specimens are in poor condition, but adequate for establishing morphological diagnostic characters. Amongst
Molpadiodemas
species
the distinguishing characters of
M. ustulatus
are: very dark brown colour; narrowly elongate body; tube feet most evident in lateral band; gonad rod ossicles with open lateral mesh.