Actinopyga agassizii ( Selenka, 1867 )

Pawson, David L., Pawson, Doris J. & King, Rachael A., 2010, A taxonomic guide to the Echinodermata of the South Atlantic Bight, USA: 1. Sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), Zootaxa 2449, pp. 1-48 : 35-36

Actinopyga agassizii ( Selenka, 1867)

Figure 6 e, 28

Mülleria Agassizii Selenka, 1867: 311 .

Actinopyga agassizii .— Hendler et al., 1995: 282 –284, figs 157, 180G,H,I.

Material examined. None.

Diagnosis. Adult specimens reach 350mm in length. Color variable, from yellowish to brownish, often mottled. The body wall is thick and leathery. The ventrally positioned mouth is surrounded by 20–30 large, peltate tentacles, which often are extended. There are 5 conspicuous, white, calcareus teeth surrounding the anus. Body wall ossicles are rosettelike elements (30–70 μm long), which vary from simple “dog biscuit” shapes to complex rods with dichotomously branched ends.

Distribution. SC to S FL, Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Belize, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Barbados.

Habitat. Coral reef, rocky areas, seagrass beds, on sandy bottoms of lagoons in 0– 54m. Remarks. This large tropical/subtropical species is apparently not common in the northern part of the South Atlantic Bight.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Some SERTC holothurians. a) Pentamera pulcherrima; b) Thyonella pervicax; c) Aslia pygmaea; d) Holothuria princeps; e) Actinopyga agassizii; f) Isostichopus badionotus. Scalebars: a = 1 cm; b, c = 2 cm; d, e, f = 5 cm.