Rediscovery of the elpidiid holothurian Peniagone horrifer (Elasipodida, Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) in the southern I
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Rediscovery of the elpidiid holothurian Peniagone horrifer (Elasipodida, Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) in the southern Indian Ocean Ian A. Cross & Andrey Gebruk & David Billett & Antonina Rogacheva
Received: 2 March 2011 / Revised: 20 July 2011 / Accepted: 19 January 2012 / Published online: 29 February 2012 # Senckenberg, Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer 2012
Abstract Peniagone horrifer Théel, 1882 was collected at abyssal depths from around the Crozet Islands in the southern Indian Ocean on RRS Discovery Cruise 300 in 2005. Previously known from only one specimen, P. horrifer is redescribed based on a large haul of preserved material and an in situ photograph of the species on the seabed. Keywords Elpidiidae . Taxonomy . Abyssal sub-Antarctic . Deep-sea holothurian
Introduction The elasipodid holothurian Peniagone horrifer Théel, 1882 (family Elpidiidae) was first described from a single specimen collected during the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger 1872–76, from St. 157 in the southern Indian Ocean (53˚55’S, 108˚35’E, depth 3,569 m) on 3 March 1874. The type specimen at the Natural History Museum (London, United Kingdom) is in poor condition. Hansen (1975), upon examining the specimen, I. A. Cross : D. Billett National Oceanography Centre, Southampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom e-mail: [email protected] D. Billett e-mail: [email protected] A. Gebruk : A. Rogacheva (*) P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nakhimovsky Pr. 36, Moscow 117997, Russia e-mail: [email protected] A. Gebruk e-mail: [email protected]
wrote that the external characters could not be identified positively, and that the characteristic velum structure described by Théel appeared to be caused by distortion of the body. Members of the genus Peniagone are delicate organisms and are often recovered in trawls in poor condition (Hansen 1975). Problems with identification and loss of characters in preserved material have been noted by previous authors (Hansen 1975; Gebruk 1990, 2008). However, where in situ photographs are available, they can be important taxonomic aids (Pawson and Foell 1986; Bluhm and Gebruk 1999). In this work, we re-describe Peniagone horrifer from a large number of preserved specimens collected on RRS Discovery Cruise 300 in the vicinity of the Crozet Islands (Hughes et al. 2007; Wolff et al. 2011) and from an in situ photograph. The holotype at the Natural History Museum in London was also re-examined. Peniagone horrifer is amongst the most fragile and little known Peniagone species. The taxonomic description of the velum structure and arrangement of the tube feet was aided by features evident in underwater images of the holothurian.
Systematics Order Elasipodida Théel, 1882 Suborder Psychropotina Hansen, 1975 Family Elpidiidae Théel, 1879 Peniagone horrifer Théel, 1882 Peniagone horrifer Théel 1882: 45–46, Pls. X Fig. 2; XXXIII Figs. 8, 9; Hansen 1975: 132. Holotype Natural History Museum, London, UK, Cat. Nr 83.6.18.23. Type locality South Indian Ocean, 3,569 m. Mat
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