Ceto cuvieria ( Cuvier, 1817 )

Mackenzie, Melanie & Whitfield, Emily, 2011, An overview of the Australian psolid sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Psolidae) with the description of 5 new species, Zootaxa 3037, pp. 21-36 : 23-24

Ceto cuvieria ( Cuvier, 1817)

Table 1 , Figures 1 a–c.

Synonymies. See Pawson (1971b).

Material examined. South Australia, Nuyts Archipelago, Egg Island, 32º28'S 133º19'E, N. Coleman, 1970/ 1971, NMV F97058 (1); Investigator Strait, 35º29'S 137º18'E, J.E. Watson, Jan 1971, NMV F96709 (4); West Island, 35º36'S 138º35'E, 24 m, J.E. Watson, 12 Jan 1971, NMV F96712 (2).

Diagnosis. As for the genus Ceto (see above).

Color (live). Dark brown to black and white.

Distribution. Southeast of Flinders I., South Australia to Shark Bay, Western Australia, from 15– 66 m. Distribution taken from Australian Biological Resources Study (2011), where the distribution for Ceto cuvieria listed in Rowe & Gates (1995) is corrected based on species records coming from Flinders I., South Australia, not Flinders I., Tasmania.

Remarks. Ceto Gistel is a monotypic genus. For synonymy and revised descriptions for Ceto cuvieria (Cuvier) , see Pawson (1971b) and O’Loughlin & Maric (2008). To the review of Ceto cuvieria by Pawson, we add a live specimen photograph. Ceto cuvieria is distinguished morphologically from other species of Psolidae by a combination of: radial oral valves; leathery skin covering the body wall scales; 15 tentacles; higher than usual number of Polian vesicles (up to 28 recorded).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ceto cuvieria (Cuvier, 1817). a, live dorso-lateral view (Nuyts Archipelago, South Australia. Photo: Neville Coleman); (b – c, NMV F 97058): b, lateral view; c, ventral view.