Neoamphicyclus materiae, O’Loughlin, 2007

O’Loughlin, P. Mark, 2007, New cucumariid species from southern Australia (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida: Cucumariidae), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 64, pp. 23-34 : 27

Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov.

Figures 1e , 2e , 4d

Cucumaria mutans Joshua, 1914: 4 , pl. 1 figs 1a–d (part).— Joshua and Creed, 1915: 18 (part).—H.L. Clark, 1938: 444–445 (part) (part non Cucumaria mutans Joshua, 1914 ).

Mensamaria thomsoni .—H.L. Clark, 1946: 406 (part, juvenile forms, non Mensamaria thomsoni ( Hutton, 1879)) .

Neoamphicyclus lividus .— Hickman,1962:58 (East Devonport).— Rowe, 1982: 460, 468–469, fig. 10.34b (part).— O’Loughlin, 1984: 151.— Materia et al., 1991: 301, 305–307, tables 4, 5, figs 4, 5 (part; Victoria specimens). — O’Loughlin, 1991: 226, table 1 (part; Victoria specimens).— O’Loughlin and O’Hara, 1992: 227–228, table 1 (part).— O’Loughlin, 1994: table 1 (part; Victoria specimens).— Rowe, 1995: 275 (N Tasmania, except King I., and southern Australia) (non Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman, 1962 ).

cf. Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman. — Marsh, 1991: 472–473 (non Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman, 1962 ).

Material examined. Holotype: Victoria, Flinders ocean platforms, E of Mushroom Reef , shallow sub-littoral, under rocks and on algae, T. Megens, M. O’Loughlin, 10 Mar 1980, NMV F132722 .

Paratypes: Type locality and date, F76372 (4); SE corner of Mushroom Reef, M. O’Loughlin, 12 Dec 1985, F76360 (11); E of Mushroom Reef, C. Materia, M. O’Loughlin, 9 Oct 1987, F76364 (14).

Other material. New South Wales, 12 km S of Bateman’s Bay, Pretty Point Bay, 11 Aug 1991, F132707 (2). Victoria, syntype of Cucumaria mutans Joshua, 1914 , F132702 (1; ex F45139, non C. mutans ); Mallacoota, 21 Jan 1981, F76422 (4); Shack Bay, VNPMS stn 27, rocky subtidal, 4–6 m, 14 Feb 1996, F146573 (1); Cape Paterson, VNPMS stn 2, rocky subtidal, 2 May 1995, F146572 (1); Phillip I., Kitty Miller Bay, 25 Oct 1987, F58590 (17); S of Apollo Bay, Marengo, Hayley Point, 11 Jan 1980, F58720 (7); Killarney, 20 Apr 1983, F76461 (1). N Tasmania, Waterhouse Passage, 26 Feb 1991, F132712 (1); F132718 (1); Lulworth, Black Rock Point, 22 Nov 1982, F132709 (3); Point Sorell, 19 Jan 1989, F58612 (12); E Devonport, 1–14 Jan 1940, TM H2141 (15); Stanley, Godfrey Beach, 30 Nov 1968, F132715 (1); Port Latta, Cowrie Beach, 1 Dec 1968, F132716 (1). South Australia, Cape Northumberland, 4 Jan 2001, F132706 (1); 6 km E of Port MacDonnell, Stoney Point, 19 Mar 1976, F132721 (2); Cape Jervis, 7 m, 21 Feb 1974, F132708 (1); Kangaroo I., Eastern Cove, 16 Jan 1990, F132705 (5); Streaky Bay, Point Westall, 15 Jan 1991, F132720 (4); Ceduna, Cape Vivonne, 14 Jan 1991, F132710 (15); NW of Thevenard, 14 Dec 1991, F66233 (20).

Description. Neoamphicyclus species up to 45 mm long with maximum diameter 7 mm (preserved; tentacles excluded); perioral thick conical papillae; radial tube feet do not cross true introvert; gonad tubules unbranched.

Ossicles. Body wall, introvert, with sparse table ossicles only: table discs mostly irregular in form, rounded to angular, commonly 32–48 μ m wide, rarely up to 64 μ m wide, perforations commonly 3–7, rarely up to 11; spires typically with 3 pillars, sometimes 2, rarely 4, frequently absent, spires typically 24 μ m long; in small 10-mm long specimens tables numerous, discs up to 88 μ m wide, up to 24 perforations, indicating decrease in table disc size, number of disc perforations, and density in body wall with increase in specimen size.Tube feet with endplates up to 224 μ m diameter; narrow rim of perforated support plates, elongate, frequently 2 large central perforations, about 112 μ m long. Tentacles with rods only, irregular, branched or unbranched, distally with or lacking perforations, some H-shaped, rods 48–136 μ m long. Oral disc and papillae with rods only, with perforated ends, lacking rosettes. Posterior anal body wall with 5 rudimentary scales (anastomosing calcareous bodies), irregular form with single-layered perforated stem, up to 400 μ m long.

Reproduction. Sexes separate; seasonal reproduction; coelomic brood protection by females; up to 528 coelomic juveniles per female; brood release principally in October and November ( Materia et al., 1991, as N. lividus from Victoria).

Colour (preserved). Body pale to dark blue-grey to grey-brown with fine speckle, dark blue-grey to grey-black anteriorly and posteriorly;introvert pale to dark grey-brown to brown; tentacle dendritic ends pale grey, trunks dark brown; oral disc dark brown.

Distribution. S New South Wales (Bateman’s Bay), Victoria, N Tasmania (excluding King I.), South Australia, S Western Australia (Princess Royal Harbour, Quaranup ( Marsh, 1991)); 0– 7 m.

Etymology. Named for Christine Materia in appreciation of her great contribution to echinoderm research through dedicated fieldwork and museum curation, and in particular for her contribution to our knowledge about this species.

Remarks. H. L. Clark (1938, 1946) accepted Joshua (1914) and Joshua and Creed (1915) who mistakenly thought that the common small deep blue-black holothurians on the Victorian coast, with sparse tables usually devoid of a spire, were young of Cucumaria mutans . These holothuroids are in fact the Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov. described here, and distinguished from the other 3 Neoamphicyclus species in the key. Joshua’s thinking is confirmed by the fact that one of his syntypes of Cucumaria mutans is the new species N. materiae . Hickman (1962) reported Neoamphicyclus lividus from Devonport. This material was examined and most discs have the characteristic spires of N. materiae . Marsh (1991) noted the smaller body size and presence of table spires in specimens from Princess Royal Harbour in SW Australia, and reported the material as “cf. Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman ”. These specimens are presumed here to be conspecific with N. materiae sp. nov.

Figures

Figure 1. a, Apsolidium falconerae sp. nov., holotype, from Phillip I., NMV F109375, preserved, 34 mm long, lateral view showing thick calcareous dorsal and lateral body, thin-walled sole, mid-ventral radial tube feet; insert with radial (left) and interradial (right) plates of calcareous ring. b, Neoamphicyclus mutans (Joshua, 1914), live colour, collected by Mark O’Loughlin from Flinders ocean platforms on 13 February 2007, 60 mm long, lateral view, NMV F123862. c, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., holotype, from Fremantle, WAM Z279-92, preserved, 33 mm long, dorso-lateral view; insert with radial (left) and interradial (right) plates of calcareous ring. d, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., tentacles showing white calcareous band of ossicles at base, NMV F132704. e, Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov., holotype, from Flinders, NMV F132722, preserved, 35 mm long, ventral view; insert with radial (left) and interradial (right) plates of calcareous ring. f, Neocucumella turnerae sp. nov., holotype, from Derwent estuary, TM H3295, preserved, 46 mm long; insert with radial (left) and interradial (right) plates of calcareous ring.

Figure 2. Body wall mounts. a, Apsolidium falconerae sp. nov., holotype, NMV F109375, knobbed plates in ventral body wall. b, Neocucumella turnerae sp. nov., paratype, TM H3296, endplate in ventral body wall; absence of other ossicles. c, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., holotype, WAM Z279-92, table discs in body wall; insert with lateral view of table showing spire, NMV F132704. d, Neoamphicyclus mutans (Joshua, 1914), NMV F109315, table discs in body wall; insert showing table spire. e, Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov., paratype NMV F76360, table discs in body wall; inserts with lateral view of tables showing spires, paratype, NMV F76364. f, Neoamphicyclus lividus Hickman, 1962, table discs in body wall, NMV F58698.

Figure 4. Tentacle ossicles. a, Apsolidium falconerae sp. nov., holotype, NMV F109375, perforated plates and rods. b, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., rosettes from lower tentacle (base), NMV F132704. c, Neoamphicyclus altoffi sp. nov., rods from upper tentacle, NMV F132704. d, Neoamphicyclus materiae sp. nov., paratype, NMV F76364, rods. e, Neoamphicyclus mutans (Joshua,1914), NMV F109315, rosettes from upper tentacle. f, Neocucumella turnerae sp. nov., paratype, TM H3296; rosettes from disc and oral papillae (left); rods from tentacles (right).