Mesothuria murrayi Théel, 1886a

Madeira, Patrícia, Kroh, Andreas, Cordeiro, Ricardo, De, António M., Martins, Frias & Ávila, Sérgio P., 2019, The Echinoderm Fauna of the Azores (NE Atlantic Ocean), Zootaxa 4639 (1), pp. 1-231 : 155

Mesothuria murrayi Théel, 1886a

Reports for the Azores:

Mesothuria murrayi ( Théel, 1886) —p.p.? $ Hérouard 1902: 23–24; García-Diez et al. 2005: 51; $ Gebruk 2012: 303–307, fig. 11.

Type locality: Juan Fernandez (33°42’S, 78°18’W), Pacific.

See: Théel (1886a: 185, pl. 10, figs. 16–18, as Holothuria murrayi ); Gebruk (2012).

Occurrence: cosmopolitan, in the Atlantic and Pacific; in the Atlantic reliable records from off Florida and the Azores ( Gebruk 2012).

Depth: 245– 6,650 m ( AZO:? 1,660–1,940 m; Gebruk (2012).

Habitat: soft substrate (clay to ooze; Théel 1886a, Hansen 1975).

Remarks: Hérouard (1902) reported two individuals of M. murrayi from the archipelago, collected by Princesse Alice (sta 719: 39°11’N, 30°24’15”W, 1,600 m). Later, Deichmann (1930) re-examined one of the specimens and assigned it to a different species, M. rugosa (see below). Deichmann believed that M. murrayi was restricted to the Pacific waters and all Atlantic material assigned to this species would prove to be either M. maroccana or M. rugosa . However, Gebruk (2012) has recently identified M. rugosa in the Atlantic, including a specimen collected by Princesse Alice in the Azores (sta 863: 39°22’00”N, 26°55’45”W), not listed in Hérouard’s (1902) report. Nevertheless, the complex taxonomy of M. murrayi and other closely related species such as M. maroccana and M. rugosa shows that this group of species is in need of a thorough revision.