Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman, 1962

O’Loughlin, P. Mark, 2007, New cucumariid species from southern Australia (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida: Cucumariidae), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 64, pp. 23-34 : 26-27

Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman, 1962

Figure 2f

Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman, 1962: 58 , text figs 53–63, pl. 1 fig. 5.— Hickman, 1978: 29–31, figs 1–14.— Dartnall, 1980: 54, map 16.—Rowe, 1982: 460, 468–469, fig. 10.34b (part).— Rowe and Vail, 1982: 222.— Materia et al., 1991: 301, 306–307 (part; SE Tasmania specimens).— O’Loughlin, 1991: 226, table 1 (part; SE Tasmania specimens).— O’Loughlin and O’Hara, 1992: 227–28, Table 1.— O’Loughlin, 1994: Table 1 (part; SE Tasmania specimens).— Rowe, 1995: 275 (part; SE Tasmania and King I. specimens), (part Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov. below; non N. lividus Hickman, 1962 ).

Type locality. SE Tasmania, Pirates Bay, Eaglehawk Neck , rocky shallows .

Material examined. SE Tasmania, Bruny I., Adventure Bay , rocky shallows, 11 Jan 1989, NMV F58700 (30) ; Opossum Bay , rocky shallows, 15 Nov 1982 , F58698 (18+ 7 juveniles); F58707 (1, 5 brood juveniles); Frederick Henry Bay, Carlton Point, Red Ochre Beach , 23 Nov 1968 , F132714 (3); Eaglehawk Neck, rocky shallows, 15 Feb 1991, F132711 (33); N Tasmania, King I., Gulchway, S of Surprise Bay , rocky shallows, 10 Mar 1980 , F58697 (2); F58699 (5).

Description. Neoamphicyclus species up to 35 mm long with maximum diameter 14 mm (preserved; tentacles excluded); perioral papillae digitiform to distally sub-globular, about 0.2 mm long; radial tube feet cross true introvert; gonad tubules with single branch, extend coelom length.

Ossicles. Body wall, introvert, with table disc ossicles only: discs never with spires, irregular in form, table discs decrease in number and size with increase in specimen size; in 6-mm long specimen discs abundant, 40–104 μ m wide, 3–13 perforations; in 10 mm-long specimen discs 32–72 μ m wide, 3–20 perforations; in 30 mm-long specimen discs sparse, 36–48 μ m wide 2–6 perforations. Tube feet with endplates up to 200 μ m diameter; few elongate perforated support plates, up to 112 μ m long. Tentacles with irregular rods only, perforations distally, lacking rosettes, rods up to 112 μ m long. Oral disc with rods only, lacking rosettes. Posterior anal body wall with 5 rudimentary scales (anastomosing calcareous bodies), irregular form, up to 320 μ m long.

Reproduction. Sexes separate; coelomic brood protection by females ( Hickman, 1978; Materia et al., 1991).

Colour (preserved). Body blue-grey, slate-grey, grey-black, dark grey-brown, dark brown, brown, frequently dark anteriorly and posteriorly; tentacles darker in colour, lacking white patches.

Distribution. SE Tasmania; N Tasmania, King I.; rocky shallows.

Remarks. There are ossicle changes with change in specimen size. In a 10-mm long specimen of N. lividus (F132711), the disc plates have 2 forms: typical discs 32–72 μ m wide 3–20 perforations; atypical thick perforted plates 96–112 μ m wide 9–23 perforations. These perforated plates are not evident in larger specimens. Hickman (1978) illustrated significantly larger table discs with more perforations in coelomic juveniles than larger specimens.

Hickman (1978) and Materia et al. (1991) reported coelomic brood-protection by N. lividus . Only N. lividus specimens collected in summer months between 15 November and 19 March were reported, with few, large brood juveniles. For Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov. (below) brood release is principally in October, with a few larger brood juveniles found in females in December. A pattern of seasonal brood protection with most brood juveniles released in spring appears to be the same for N. lividus and N. materiae . Materia et. al. (1991) noted the relatively larger full size of N. lividus specimens from SE Tasmania compared with specimens from SE mainland Australia (now N. materiae sp. nov. below). N. lividus is distinguished from the other 3 species of Neoamphicyclus in the key.

Figures

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.