Holothuria (Selenkothuria) parvispinea, Massin, Claude, 2013

Massin, Claude, 2013, Holothuria (Selenkothuria) parvispinea n. sp. (Echinodermata, Hololthuroidea, Holothuriidae) with key to the sub-genus Selenkothuria, Zootaxa 3609 (3), pp. 343-348 : 344-346

Holothuria (Selenkothuria) parvispinea sp. nov.

Fig. 1 A–L, fig. 2A–B; fig. 3A–E

Description Body cylindrical, 110 mm long and 11 mm width on its all length (fig. 2 A, B). Colour in alcohol brown dorsally and ventrally. Ventrally, numerous white tube feet; dorsally tube feet brown to beige (fig. 2A); tentacles yellowish. Mouth ventral; anus terminal; mouth surrounded by at least 16 short, peltate tentacles; anus surrounded by numerous papillae with white tip. Ventral tube feet densely crowded (fig. 2B), large, conical at the base and cylindrical at the top. Dorsal tube feet less numerous than ventral ones but present all over the bivium. Skin smooth to the touch, 1 mm thick.

Calcareous ring with large quadrangular radial pieces (fig. 3A); interradial pieces narrower with an anterior median spine. Tentacle vesicles 2.5 to 5.2 mm long. Three Polian vesicles 2.4 to 3.2 mm long. Stone canal not observed. Longitudinal muscles large, bifid, cylindrical. Holotype being eviscerated, no information on the digestive tract, gonad and Cuvierian organ.

Ossicles: in the body wall and the tube feet, as well dorsally than ventrally, rods only (fig. 3B–C). Dorsally the rods are 70–110 µm long with smooth edges and with few terminal perforations (fig. 3 B). Some rods with small spines along the edges. End plate of dorsal tube feet around 400 µm across. Ventrally, the rods are 65–140 µm long (fig. 3C), similar to the ventral ones. Rods with spines on the edges rare. End plates 400–450 µm across, in single pieces. Tentacles with smooth rods, although with spiny extremities (fig. 3D), 120–230 µm long. Ossicles in longitudinal muscles missing but present in retractor muscles of cloaca (fig. 3E). These rods, 50–100 µm long, are smooth some with perforated extremities (fig. 3E)

Etymology. parvispinea means “with small spines “. It refers to the rods with small spines on the edges or no spines at all.