Pentamera pulcherrima Ayres, 1852

Prata, Jéssica, Manso, Cynthia Lara De Castro & Christoffersen, Martin Lindsey, 2020, Dendrochirotida (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from the northeastern coast of Brazil, Zootaxa 4755 (3), pp. 401-453 : 414-416

Pentamera pulcherrima Ayres, 1852

( Figure 7 )

Pentamera pulcherrima Ayres, 1852: 207–208 ; Théel 1886: 139; Pawson 1977: 12; Pawson et al. 2010: 25–26 , figs 6a, 18. Thyone pulcherrima: Semper 1868: 66 .

Cucumaria pulcherrima: Coe 1912: 113 ; Deichmann 1930: 157, pl. XI, figs 13–16; Tommasi 1971: 2.

Material examined. Paraíba State, Brazil: 1 spec., 0701’S; 3444’41”W ( UFPB.ECH-2147); 1 spec., 0701’02”S; 3447’55”W ( UFPB.ECH-2148).

Type locality. Charleston, South Carolina, United States ( Deichmann 1930).

Description. Specimen UFPB.ECH-2147. Slightly curved body, narrower in posterior region, 1 cm long, and 0.5 cm in breadth in mid-body. Thin skin, rigid due the presence of ossicles ( Fig. 7A ). Color light brown to white. Mouth and anus slightly upturned. Tentacles 10, bushy, short, retracted, two ventral ones reduced. Tube feet restrict- ed to radii in double rows. Calcareous ring complex, with narrow and elongated posterior processes, the bifurcation starts in the middle of the plate ( Fig. 7B ), interradial plates smaller, diamond-shaped. Madreporite small, stone canal long. Polian vesicle not observed. Retractor muscles thin, short. Longitudinal muscles thin. Respiratory trees branched, about 3/4 of the body length. Gonad in single tuft. Body wall ossicles consist of oval tables with four to eight holes and short spire formed by two pillars, ending in two to three teeth (60–80 µm long) ( Figs. 7 D–E). Some thin perforated plates, with two central holes, few holes at both extremities, and various irregular plates near the anus. Tube feet include elongated, narrow, curved supporting tables, with two pillars ending in some teeth (100 µm long) ( Fig. 7F ), supporting plates and endplate. Introvert with small elongated rosettes (30–50 µm long) ( Fig. 7C ) and small tables with two central holes.

Geographical distribution. South Carolina, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Colombia ( Deichmann 1930; Pawson et al. 2010), and Brazil (from Paraíba on the NE coast). It is found down to 27 m deep ( Pawson et al. 2010).

Remarks. This small species seems to be close to Thyone inermis Heller, 1868 due the shape of the tables, and for having the spire with two holes, but differs by the presence of four teeth on the apex of the spire and by the irregular table disc, with four or more holes. Also distinguished from Thyone adinopoda Pawson & Miller, 1981 by this species having a spire with three or more holes, and ending in a crown of teeth. Pentamera pulcherrima Ayres, 1852 was recorded for Brazil by Tommasi (1971) on the basis of material from Vitória City, Espírito Santo State, and the occurrence of P. pulcherrima was expanded from Espírito Santo State to Northern Brazil. Here, the occurrence of P. pulcherrima along the Northeast coast of Brazil is confirmed.

Ecological notes. Pentamera pulcherrima was found associated with rhodoliths. This species occur in sandy and muddy bottoms, and they can be found in large numbers on the beaches in the intertidal zone ( Deichmann 1930; Pawson et al. 2010). The present study reports only two specimens found co-occurring with Pentamera paraibanensis .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Pentamera pulcherrima Ayres, 1852, UFPB.ECH-2147. A, external view; B, calcareous ring; C, rosettes from introvert; D–E, tables from body wall; F, supporting tables from tube feet.