Abyssocucumis abyssorum ( Théel, 1886a ), Cosmo

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 : 136

Abyssocucumis abyssorum ( Théel, 1886a)

Reports for the Azores:

Cucumaria abyssorum Théel, 1886 a— $ Marenzeller 1892: 64, 1893: 14; Ludwig 1894: 122–127, pl. 9, figs. 28, 29, pl. 13, figs. 1–5; Perrier 1902: 275; Mortensen 1927a: 396; Deichmann 1930: 139; Grieg 1932: 11, fig. 9; $ Cherbonnier 1941: 93–103, figs. 1, 3; Abyssocucumis abyssorum ( Théel, 1886) — García-Diez et al. 2005: 51.

Type locality: off Crozet Island (46°16’S, 48°27’E) .

See: Théel (1886a: 66–67 pl. 4, fig. 6, pl. 16, fig. 6); Heding (1942: 33–35, figs. 34–36); Massin & Hendrickx (2011: 418).

Occurrence: cosmopolitan, known from all oceans except in the Arctic ( Hansen 1975); in the Atlantic from the Davis Strait ( Heding 1942) eastwards from south of Iceland ( Deichmann 1930) and the Rockall Trough ( Gage et al. 1985) to the Azores ( Marenzeller 1892).

Depth: 869– 4,810 m ( Gage et al. 1985); AZO : 2,870 m ( Marenzeller 1892).

Habitat: soft substrates (muddy sand to ooze; Théel 1886a, Marenzeller 1892).

Remarks: the presence of this species in Azores is based on a single dredge by Hirondelle (sta 248: 41°40’41”N, 26°44’9”W) ( Marenzeller 1892, 1893). Though this abyssal holothurian was never re-collected again in the archipelago, more recently A. abyssorum was repeatedly retrieved from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge just north of the Azorean waters ( Gebruk 2008; Rogacheva et al. 2013).