Trachasina crucifera ( Semper, 1869 )

Thandar, Ahmed S., 2018, On some miscellaneous sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) in the collections of the South African Museum with three new species, Zootaxa 4532 (1), pp. 57-85 : 59-60

Trachasina crucifera ( Semper, 1869)

( Figure 2 )

Cucumaria crucifera Semper, 1869:121 , fig. 1.

Trachythyone crucifera Panning, 1949:427 , fig. 15; Thandar, 1991:131, figs. 10a & 15a (synonymy).

? Trachythyone crucifera Panning, 1964:170 , fig. 9.

Trachasina crucifera Thandar & Natasen Moodley, 2003:284 ; Thandar, 2006:26 , fig. 8l; Deepa & Biju Kumar, 2011:102, figs. 3 & 4.

Diagnosis (see Semper 1868, Panning 1949).

Material examined. SAMC-A 090911 , Saco da Inhaca , 19.II.56, 1 spec .

Distribution. Typically West Indian Ocean, but also reported from the Bay of Bengal. In southern Africa this species occurs as far south as Scottburgh in KwaZulu-Natal.

Remarks. This is a well-known West Indian Ocean species recently re-recorded from India by Deepa & Biju Kumar (2011). Thandar (1991, 2006) reported rosettes from the introvert but the current specimen shows an absence of ossicles in the introvert. It is possible that the rosettes could have come from the tentacles since such ossicles, together with rods, occur abundantly in the tentacles. Deepa & Biju Kumar (2011) do not comment on the introvert ossicles. Crosses were found throughout the body wall, including the tube feet; end-plates are present.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Trachasina crucifera (Semper, 1869). SAMC-A090911. A. Specimen (entire); B. Body wall plates; C. Rods from tube feet; D. Rods from tentacles; E. Rosettes from tentacles; F. Crosses from tube feet.