Actinocucumis typica Ludwig, 1875: 91
Actinocucumis
New dendrochirotid sea cucumbers from northern Australia (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida)
P. Mark O’Loughlin
Melanie Mackenzie
Didier Vandenspiegel
Memoirs of Museum Victoria
2014
2014-12-31
72
5
23
9TSG
Ludwig, 1875
Ludwig
1875
[809,1180,552,574]
Holothuroidea
Cucumariidae
Actinocucumis
GBIF
Animalia
Dendrochirotida
14
19
Echinodermata
species
typica
Actinocucumis typicaLudwig, 1875: 91, fig. 24 a–d.— Lampert, 1885: 177.— Théel, 1886: 84, 125, pl. 12 figs 4, 5.— Ludwig, 1888: 817.— Erwe, 1913: 364–365, pl. 6 fig. 10a, b. Actinocucumistypicus.— H. L. Clark, 1921: 170.— Clark, 1938: 479.— Clark, 1946: 403.— Heding and Panning, 1954: 72–74, figs 19, 20 (part).— A. M. Clark and Rowe, 1971: fig. 95 e, pl. 30 fig. 4 (part).— Liao and Clark, 1995: 481–482, fig. 290, pl. 23 fig. 10 (part).
Materialexamined. NE Australia, Queensland: Yeppoon, dredged off Middle Island, 23.13°S 150.74°E, 9–37m, B. J. Smith, 6 Sept 1967, NMVF204078 (1); Mackay harbour, 21.15°S 149.18°E, Ian Kirwan, 14 Jul 1982, NMVF206362 (1); near Cairns, Machans Beach, 16.85°S 145.73°E, on beach after cyclone, B. Collins, 25 Dec 1996, NMVF203016 (2); N Australia, Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, 11.55°S 129.82°E, RV Solander, 48 m, AIMS& GA, 26 Aug 2010, NMVF173265 (1) (GA lot SOL5117 lot 082BS040; UF tissue lot MOLAF1552); NW Australia, Dampier Archipelago, 1.3 kmE of EaglehawkI., FRV Flinders, DA 2/73/01, 20.67°S 116.46°E, coarse sand, 13 m, 24 Jul 1999, NMVF209501(1).
Diagnosis (sensu stricto). Dendrochirotid species, uniform brown colour (NMV F204078), or yellowish brown with some red patches and fine black flecking (NMV F173265), or pale brown to cream with fine brown flecking on body and larger brown patches on tube feet (NMV F206362); body pentagonal in section with raised radial ridges; five thick oral valves; about 20 dendritic tentacles, variable in arrangement and size, ventral pair smallest; tube feet confined to radii, small papillae and tube feet also on radii and encroaching inter-radially; tube feet in 4–6 rows ( 80 mmlong specimen, Ludwig 1875), or in paired rows (smaller 35–44 mmlong specimens, this work); calcareous ring not composite, radial plates with vertical sides, radial and inter-radial plates lacking posterior prolongations. Body wall ossicles abundant, crowded, small plates and ellipsoids, and rare, thick large plates; bi-perforate plates (figure-8 form, “acorn” plates in Ludwig 1875 and Clark 1938, 1946) predominate, up to about 40–50 µm long with one central and 5 marginal knobs, the apical knob typically projecting; bi-perforate plates inter-grade with abundant but less numerous irregularly ovoid fenestrated ellipsoids, up to about 40–55 µm long; large plates thick, irregular in outline, perforation sizes irregular, plates frequently more than 150 µm long. Tube feet with endplates and support tables; large endplate diameters about 240 µm, small endplate diameters about 120 µm; table discs elongate, up to 160 µm long, narrow, widened centrally and distally, spires with 4-pillar base, pillars frequently joined to form an arch, arches frequently with single, long, thick, pointed, apical spine. Introvert with abundant tables, spires with four-pillar base and pillars fused with distal narrow arch or long spine or 2 short blunt spines. Papillae with body wall ossicles, rare tables, and lacking endplates. Lacking anal scales.
Remarks. Because uncertainty remains about the assignment of species to this genus we provide a sensu strictodiagnosis of Actinocucumis typica, based on the morphological characters of the typespecies. We examined six northern Australian specimens of Actinocucumis(listed above). We confidently judge that four of these specimens are Actinocucumis typicaas all of their morphological characters closely fit the original description and illustrations by Ludwig (1875). These characters are detailed in the generic diagnosis above. With less confidence we judge that the two beach-washed specimens are also A. typica(NMV F203016). The ossicles of specimens from the Philippinesthat are illustrated by Reyes-Leonardo et al. (1985)appear to us to be close to those illustrated for Actinocucumis longipedes, although the description refers to the presence of fenestrated ellipsoids and irregular tables with pointed spires. The descriptive reference to “wart-like” podia scattered all over the body” is not characteristic of A. typica.
1851456622
1967-09-06
2010-08-26
1967-09-06
NMV, AIMS
B. J. Smith & B. Collins & Solander
Australia
Material
23
-11.55
Middle Island
777
129.82
Yeppoon
14
19
MOLAF1552
1
Queensland
1851456554
1973-02-01
1999-07-24
1973-02-01
NMV
Eaglehawk I. & Flinders, DA
Australia
13
-20.67
Dampier Archipelago
760
116.46
14
19
1