Paracaudina chilensis obesacauda ( H.L. Clark, 1908 )

Pawson, David L., Pawson, Doris J. & King, Rachael A., 2010, A taxonomic guide to the Echinodermata of the South Atlantic Bight, USA: 1. Sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), Zootaxa 2449, pp. 1-48 : 41

Paracaudina chilensis obesacauda ( H.L. Clark, 1908)

Figure 35

Caudina obesacauda Clark, 1908: 38 , pl. 9, figs. 1–5.

Paracaudina chilensis obesacauda .— Miller and Pawson, 1984: 66, figs.53, 54.— Hendler et al. 1995: 302, figs. 171, 187 J,K.— Pawson et al. 2001: 324, figs. 5A,B.

Material examined. SERTC 2460, off St Catherines Island, GA, 31º27.42'N, 81º05.46'W, 9 m, coll. MRRI Staff, October 13 2004.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized, burrowing form, up to 150mm. Color in life white to grey. Body barrel-shaped, with distinct, tapering tail. Podia absent. Body wall and tail with ossicles of one type, crossed cups (45–65 μm).

Distribution. SC to E and W FL, TX, Gulf of Mexico, Indo-Pacific.

Habitat. Infaunal, soft, sandy sediment. 0– 10m.

Remarks. The astonishingly broad distribution of this species has led to a re-examination, by various authors, of the taxonomic characters – mostly in the ossicles – and the conclusion that this is a single variable species.

Figures

FIGURE 35. Paracaudina chilensis obesacauda (H. L. Clark, 1908). A, whole animal; B, C, crossed cups.