Paradota weddellensis Gutt, 1990

O’Loughlin, P. Mark & VandenSpiegel, Didier, 2010, A revision of Antarctic and some Indo-Pacific apodid sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Apodida), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 67, pp. 61-95 : 91

Paradota weddellensis Gutt, 1990

Figure 16 ; table 2

Paradota weddellensis Gutt, 1990: 125–126 , figs 11–14, table 3.—

Massin, 1992: 322–323.— O’Loughlin et al. 2009: table 1.

Material examined. Scotia Sea , South Orkney Is, US AMLR stn 104, 63º13.92'S 59º27.47'W, 759 m, NMV F168842 (5) ; South Sandwich Is , 351–393 m, USNM E49614 (20+) ; South Shetland Is, 59 m, USNM E49620 (1).

Antarctic Peninsula, Joinville I., 265 m, USNM E49619 (1); Palmer Archipelago, 126 m, USNM E49616 (1).

Ross Sea, NIWA expedition 2001, 66º49'S 162º37'E, 292 m, NIWA 61095 (1) ; stn TAN0602/448, 66º56'S 162º57'E, 85 m, NIWA 49800 (1) ; NZ IPY–CAML stn TAN0802/272, 66º96'S 170º93'E, 658 m, NIWA 38869 (1).

Prydz Bay , ANARE 1987 stn 7, 68º40'S 77º12'E, 505–578 m, NMV F76845 (1) ; NMV F76846 (1).

Heard I., ANARE AA92–01 , 52º57'S 73º21'E, 159–176 m , NMV F84977 (1); AA92–06, 53º13'S 73º40'E, 120 m , NMV F84979 (1); AA92–08, 52º41'S 72º56'E, 215 m , NMV F84978 (1) .

Diagnosis (after Gutt 1990). Chiridotinid species up to 180 mm long; body wall thick; tentacles 12, peltato-digitate, 5–7 pairs of digits; calcareous ring lacking anterior and posterior projections; 4 polian vesicles; tentacles with irregular rod ossicles, many slightly bracket-shaped, some with branched ends, some with projections mid-rod; body wall lacking ossicles; longitudinal muscles with rare miliary granules.

Distribution. Circum-antarctic, south of Polar Front, 59–1191 m; Weddell Sea, 225–655 m ( Gutt 1990); Scotia Sea, 59–759 m; Antarctic Peninsula, 126–265 m; Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, Peter I Island, 97–1191 m ( O’Loughlin et al. 2009); Ross Sea, 85–658 m; Prydz Bay, 505–578 m; Heard I., 120– 215 m.

Remarks. Paradota weddellensis Gutt is a large apodid with a widespread polar distribution south of the Antarctic Convergence. Paradota marionensis Massin, 1992 occurs north of the Convergence at Marion and Prince Edward Is ( Massin 1992). We found rare miliary granules up to 40 µ m long in Ross Sea material.

Figures

Figure 16. SEM images for specimens of Paradota weddellensis Gutt, 1990. a, calcareous ring plates: (from top left) anterior view, posterior view, internal view, external view, section view (South Orkney Is; NMV F168842); b, rods from tentacles (Prydz Bay; NMV F76846).