Laevocnus katrinae O’Loughlin, 2014

O’Loughlin, P. Mark, Mackenzie, Melanie, Paulay, Gustav & VandenSpiegel, Didier, 2014, Four new species and a new genus of Antarctic sea cucumbers with taxonomic reviews of Cladodactyla, Pseudocnus, Paracucumidae and Parathyonidium (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 72, pp. 31-61 : 48

Laevocnus katrinae O’Loughlin sp. nov.

Zoobank LSID. http://zoobank.org:act:AC9E8725-E167-405E-

BCAA-3904F35161D6

Key 1; figures 9, 10

Material examined. Holotype. Southern Atlantic Ocean , Western Antarctica, Shag Rock , 53.63ºS 40.91ºW, 206 m, BAS BIOPEARL 1 stn SR–EBS–4, 11 Apr 2006, NMV F168836 ( UF tissue sequence code MOL AF 815 ).

Paratypes. Type locality and date, NMV F 189886 (9) ; type locality and date, NHMUK 2010.139 – 142 (4).

Description. Up to 14 mm long, 4 mm diameter (tentacles deeply withdrawn); body cylindrical, rounded orally and anally; thin, semi-translucent, calcareous body wall; 10 equal dendritic tentacles; calcareous ring present, indistinct, thin sinusoidal cucumariid-like, lacking posterior prolongations; tube feet extended, rigid, about 0.3 mm diameter, restricted to single well-paced radial series, up to 7 tube feet per series externally, plus up to 9 per series on withdrawn introvert; 5 small anal papillae; lacking macroscopic anal scales; 2 polian vesicles; 2 tufts of un-branched gonad tubules.

Ossicles in body wall similar in smallest (2 mm long) and largest specimens, elongate to irregularly-oval perforated plates, with marginal and surface knobs, tapered at one end, there bearing distal spines, plates up to 208 µm long. Ossicles in tentacles irregularly rectangular to triangular perforated plates with denticulate to spinous margins and few small surface granulations, up to 180 µm long. Ossicles in tube feet endplates with small irregular perforations; tube feet support ossicles irregularly-curved, perforated plates, frequently with distally-spinous mid-plate projection, plates up to about 200 µm long. Peri-anal ossicles distally spinous knobbed plates as in mid-body wall.

Colour (preserved). Body and tentacles white.

COI DNA barcode of holotype: AATTATGATAGGAG- GCTTTGGAAACTGATTAATACCTTTAATGATAG- GAGCCCCCGATATGGCTTTCCCACGAAT- GAACAATATGAGATTCTGATTAATACCCC- CTTCTTTTATTTTACTATTGGCTTCTGCTGGAGTA- GAAGGAGGTGCAGGAACAGGATGAACTATTTACC- CACCTTTATCCAGAAAAATAGCTCATGCAGGAG- GATCTGTAGATTTAGCTATATTTTCCCTACACT- TAG CAG GT G C C T C C T CA ATAC T T G CAT C TAT- TAAATTTATTACTACTATTATAAATATGCGAGCAC- CAGGAGTTTCATTTGATCGTTTACCACTATTTATTT- GATCAGTTCTAATAACCGCCTTTCTTTTACTTCTAA- GTCTTCCTGTTTTAGCAGGTGCTATTACAATGTTAT- TAACAGACCGAAATATAAAAACAACTTTTTTT- G A T C C A T C A G G A G G A G G A G A C C C T A T A C - TATTTCAACACTTATTTTGATTTTTTGGACACCCT- GAAGTTTATATTTTGATTCTACCAGGATTTGGAAT- GATATCACACGTA AT TAC TCAT TATAGAG GTA- GACAAGAACCATTTGGATATTTAGGAATGGTTTAT- GCTATGATAGCTATAGGTATTTTAGGTTTTATCGT- GTGAGCACAC

Distribution. Southern Atlantic Ocean, Western Antarctica, Shag Rock , 206 m.

Etymology. Named for Katrin Linse (British Antarctic Survey), in appreciation of her role in the BAS BIOPEARL expeditions and the collection of specimens studied here, and with gratitude for her gracious collaboration in making BAS specimens available for this study and providing relevant data.

Remarks. Laevocnus katrinae is distinguished from other species of Laevocnus by the morphological characters detailed in the key above, as well as by>17% pair-wise K2P divergence in CO1 sequence.