Neocucumella turnerae, O’Loughlin, 2007

O’Loughlin, P. Mark, 2007, New cucumariid species from southern Australia (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida: Cucumariidae), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 64, pp. 23-34 : 29

Neocucumella turnerae sp. nov.

Figures 1f , 2b , 4f

Material examined. Holotype: SE Tasmania, Derwent Estuary, Blackmans Bay , on beach after storm, E. Turner, 12 Jun 1988, TM H3295 .

Paratypes: Type locality and date, TM H3296 (10).

Other material. Type locality and date, TM H1983 (33); SS02/2007 stn 2, 146.98°E, 43.69°S, 100–110 m, 29 Mar 2007 , F136939 (1).

Description. Up to 60 mm long (preserved, tentacles partly extended), maximum diameter 8 mm; body form subcylindrical, long, thin, tapering orally and anally; ring of 20 dendritic tentacles, 5 pairs of large interradial, 5 pairs of small radial; lacking collar of papillae around tentacle ring; tube feet in 5 paired radial series, continuous across true introvert; dense collar of about 100 conspicuous pointed perioral papillae; 5 radial pairs of minute perianal papillae; ring not composite, lacks posterior prolongations; radial plates subrectangular, anterior notch, posterior notch with short projections upturned; interradial plates small, inverted V shape; dorsal twisting stone canal (1 mm long), with bean-like madreporite (1 mm long); 3 ventral long thin tubular polian vesicles up to 20 mm long; longitudinal muscles broad, flat, undivided; tufts of long, thin unbranched gonad tubules on each side of dorsal mesentery; respiratory tree weakly dendritic, extending coelom length to vascular ring.

Ossicles. Mid-body wall, introvert, lacking ossicles (except tube feet). Tube feet: endplates up to 240 μ m diameter, slightly smaller perforations centrally; few perforated support plates, typically 96 μ m long, 2 large perforations centrally, smaller perforations distally, denticulate on one side, form narrow rim around endplate; fine rods, thin, straight, perforated distally, typically 80 μ m long; rosettes in tube feet of introvert. Tentacles: smooth rods, distally perforated or bifurcate, up to 120 μ m long. Oral disc: densely branched rosettes, up to 64 μ m long, irregularly oval. Oral papillae:rosettes intergrading with unbranched and distally branched and intertwined irregular rods, variably perforated. Posterior anal body wall: 5 rudimentary scales (anastomosing calcareous bodies), irregularly oval to elongate, up to 240 μ m long; smooth distally perforated rods, up to 64 μ m long; irregular oval table-like discs, up to 48 μ m long, lacking spires.

Colour. Colour in life “pale pink” (E. Turner pers. comm.). Preserved colour of body and tube feet off-white; tentacles dark to pale brown to off-white; dark brown flecking on oral disc.

Distribution. SE Tasmania, Derwent Estuary, sediment; sublittoral to 110 m.

Etymology. Named for Mrs Elizabeth Turner, of the Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery, for her gracious assistance with loans and data over many years, and for collecting most of the specimens of this new species.

Remarks. Pawson (1962) erected the monotypic genus Neocucumella for the New Zealand species Pseudocucumis bicolumnatus Dendy and Hindle, 1907 . O’Loughlin and O’Hara (1992) added Neocucumella fracta for SE Australia, and discussed the generic diagnosis. Neocucumella turnerae sp. nov. has the tentacle number and form, tube feet arrangement, tube feetossicleforms,anddistinctivecalcareousringof Neocucumella , but is unique and exceptional in completely lacking table ossicles. Such a significant diagnostic difference suggests the desirability of erecting yet another cucumariid genus, but I judge that this should not be done until appropriate molecular data is available for a revision of Neocucumella Pawson and related genera.

Figures

Figure 1. a, Apsolidium falconerae sp. nov., holotype, from Phillip I., NMV F109375, preserved, 34 mm long, lateral view showing thick calcareous dorsal and lateral body, thin-walled sole, mid-ventral radial tube feet; insert with radial (left) and interradial (right) plates of calcareous ring. b, Neoamphicyclus mutans (Joshua, 1914), live colour, collected by Mark O’Loughlin from Flinders ocean platforms on 13 February 2007, 60 mm long, lateral view, NMV F123862. c, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., holotype, from Fremantle, WAM Z279-92, preserved, 33 mm long, dorso-lateral view; insert with radial (left) and interradial (right) plates of calcareous ring. d, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., tentacles showing white calcareous band of ossicles at base, NMV F132704. e, Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov., holotype, from Flinders, NMV F132722, preserved, 35 mm long, ventral view; insert with radial (left) and interradial (right) plates of calcareous ring. f, Neocucumella turnerae sp. nov., holotype, from Derwent estuary, TM H3295, preserved, 46 mm long; insert with radial (left) and interradial (right) plates of calcareous ring.

Figure 2. Body wall mounts. a, Apsolidium falconerae sp. nov., holotype, NMV F109375, knobbed plates in ventral body wall. b, Neocucumella turnerae sp. nov., paratype, TM H3296, endplate in ventral body wall; absence of other ossicles. c, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., holotype, WAM Z279-92, table discs in body wall; insert with lateral view of table showing spire, NMV F132704. d, Neoamphicyclus mutans (Joshua, 1914), NMV F109315, table discs in body wall; insert showing table spire. e, Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov., paratype NMV F76360, table discs in body wall; inserts with lateral view of tables showing spires, paratype, NMV F76364. f, Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman, 1962, table discs in body wall, NMV F58698.

Figure 4. Tentacle ossicles. a, Apsolidium falconerae sp. nov., holotype, NMV F109375, perforated plates and rods. b, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., rosettes from lower tentacle (base), NMV F132704. c, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., rods from upper tentacle, NMV F132704. d, Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov., paratype, NMV F76364, rods. e, Neoamphicyclus mutans (Joshua,1914), NMV F109315, rosettes from upper tentacle. f, Neocucumella turnerae sp. nov., paratype, TM H3296; rosettes from disc and oral papillae (left); rods from tentacles (right).