Additions to the aspidochirotid, molpadid and apodid holothuroids (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from the east coast of southern Africa, with descriptions of new species
Author
THANDAR, AHMED S.
text
Zootaxa
2007
2007-03-01
1414
1
1
62
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1414.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.1414.1.1
11755334
5077005
DC93A9BC-D24E-44AD-99AF-79CACCCFB984
Bohadschia marmorata
(
Jaeger, 1833
)
Figure 5
Holothuria (Holothuria) marmorata
Jaeger, 1833:18
, pl.3, fig. 9.
Bohadschia marmorata
Rowe & Gates 1995:289
(synonymy); Samyn 2003:21, fig. 8 A–E, fig. 51H, pl. 1H (synonymy & records before 2003).
Type
Perhaps lost.
Type
locality
Sulawesi
,
Indonesia
.
Material examined
UW
Ecological Survey
,
Inhaca Island
,
Mozambique
,
1 spec.
, NB108F,
2 specimens
;
SAM-A27925
, S.E. of
Kosi Bay
,
KZN
,
26° 57.3' S
,
32° 54.3' E
,
NMDP
,
St.
ZA 59,
4 vi
1990
, 41 m, night-haul,
1 spec.
Description
Mozambique
specimens
:
130–133 mm
long,
50–78 mm
wide. Colour dark brown with light patches around podia. Cuvierian tubules present. Rosettes of body wall
14–21 µm
dorsally and
17–22 µm
ventrally. Rods of dorsal podia
22–38 µm
, rods of ventral podia
17–51 µm
. Tentacle rods
116–224 µm
.
Kosi Bay specimen
: may not be referable to this species and hence briefly described.
Size 75 x
20 mm
, subcylindrical. Mouth ventral, tentacles 18, collar absent; anus terminal, no special anal papillae. Colour, in alcohol, uniformly off-white; podia yellowish, scattered, dorsal ones arising from wartlike prominences. Body wall <
1 mm
. Radial plates of calcareous ring (
Figure 5I
) quadrangular, each with two ampullary notches and a concave posterior margin; interradial plates with only a slightly concave posterior margin. Polian vesicle sac-like,
2 mm
; stone canal short, straight; madreporic body spherical (
Figure 5H
). Tentacle ampullae up to
6 mm
long. Right respiratory tree reaching anterior third of body, left more profusely branched, both trees uniting before opening into cloaca. Cuvierian tubules present at base of common stalk of respiratory trees.
Dorsal and ventral spicules not identical. Dorsal body wall with rosettes (
Figure 5D
) and X- and Y-shaped rods (
Figure 5C
); rosettes
16–45 µm
(mean
25 µm
), simple to complex, with numerous branches and subbranches; rods few,
23–65 µm
(mean
38 µm
), sometimes terminally bifid; granules absent. Ventral body wall with granules (
Figure 5A
) and rosettes (
Figure 5B
); granules
13–23 µm
(mean
18 µm
), of diverse form, usually without perforations, occasionally with up to four; rosettes
10–32 µm
(mean
18 µm
), few, never as complex and slender as the dorsal ones. Dorsal podia with small, simple rosettes,
10–35 µm
(mean
18 µm
) and curved rods
35–103 µm
(mean
64 µm
) (
Figure 5E
), usually branched at ends, with some being cross-shaped, with or without terminal branches; ventral podia with similar rods,
35–129 µm
(mean
68 µm
); dorsal endplates (
Figure 5F
)
226–352 µm
(mean
270 µm
); ventral end-plates
316–355 µm
(mean
330 µm
). Tentacles with slender to stout, curved rods,
97–475 µm
(mean
261 µm
), with spiny projections and often spinulated ends (
Figure 5G
). Longitudinal and cloacal muscles and Cuvierian tubules without deposits.
Distribution
Tropical Indo-West Pacific, 0–36 (?41) m (Rowe, in
Rowe & Gates 1995
).
Remarks
The three
Mozambique
specimens are definitely referable to
B. marmorata
with its formidable list of synonyms. The
KZN
specimen is here also referred to this widely distributed species but with some doubt. Rowe (in
Rowe & Gates, 1995
) comments that his synonymy of
B. marmorata
may be too sweeping and awaits a critical examination of the remaining
type
and other materials. While partially agreeing with Rowe, Samyn (2003) is of the opinion that at least
B. vitiensis
and
B. similis
may deserve full specific rank. On the same note
B. bivittata
was only recently resurrected from the synonymy of
B. marmorata
by
Clouse et al. (2005)
, based on behavioural, morphological and mitochondrial DNA evidence.