Neotoxodora pacifica ( Ohshima, 1915 )

Liao, Yulin, Pawson, David L. & Liu, Wei, 2007, Rediscovery of the sea cucumber “ Toxodora ” pacifica Ohshima, 1915 (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Apodida), Zootaxa 1435, pp. 37-40 : 38-40

Neotoxodora pacifica ( Ohshima, 1915)

Figures 1–2.

Toxodora pacifica Ohshima, 1915 , page 286, plate 11 fig. 35.

Diagnosis: Large, approximately 150 mm long and 10–14 mm in diameter. Tentacles 12, each with 6 digits of equal size. Body wall with slender rods of average length 59 μm; rods usually slightly curved.

Material examined: NEOTYPE, IOCAS E 1119, Yellow Sea, 33º30’N, 125ºE, 79 meters, 12 January 2003, muddy sand bottom, Peterson grab, 1 specimen.

Description: Body ( Fig. 1) cylindrical, 150 mm long and 10–14 mm in diameter. Color in alcohol purplish-gray overall, lighter in relaxed area where body wall is thin and translucent. Color fades to whitish after several months in alcohol. Tentacles 12, more or less contracted, peltato-digitate, each with six equal-sized digits. Anterior part of body contracted, with transverse wrinkles. Calcareous ring conspicuous, strong, rigid, composed of 10 pieces 1.2 mm high, radial pieces notched anteriorly for passage of radial nerves. Polian vesicles six; stone canal single, coiled. Genital tubules branched once or twice near base; genital papilla in middorsal interradius, immediately posterior to tentacle crown. Ciliated funnels few, scattered along midline of left dorsal interradius. Ossicles in body wall ( Fig. 2 ) exclusively minute slender rods 36–68 μm long, average length 59 μm, often with ends incurved and thickened at the middle. Tentacles contain rods similar to those in body wall.

Remarks: There is no doubt that the Yellow Sea specimen should be referred to Ohshima’s Toxodora pacifica . In terms of size and color, and other details, they are identical. In his description, Ohshima (1915) noted that the rods in his material were 370–660 μm long; this was clearly a typographical error, confirmed by his illustration of the rods on Plate 11 figure 35, in which, according to his scale, the four rods are 40–56μm long.

The designation of a neotype for this species is fully in accordance with the requirements in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, Article 75 (1999). The original type material is lost, the characters of the neotype are consistent with those described by Ohshima (1915) in his original description of the species, and the neotype locality is not too far removed from the original type locality of N. pacifica .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Neotoxodora pacifica (Ohshima), rods from body wall.