Myriotrochus hesperides O’Loughlin and Manjón-Cabeza, 2009

O’Loughlin, P. Mark & VandenSpiegel, Didier, 2010, A revision of Antarctic and some Indo-Pacific apodid sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Apodida), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 67, pp. 61-95 : 68

Myriotrochus hesperides O’Loughlin and Manjón-Cabeza, 2009

Figure 5a ; table 2

Myriotrochus hesperides O’Loughlin and Manjón-Cabeza (in

O’Loughlin et al., 2009): 9, fig. 2e, f, table 1.

Diagnosis (following O’Loughlin et al. 2009). Myriotrochid species up to 13 mm long; 12 peltato-digitate tentacles, about 7 small rounded digits per tentacle; lacking tentacle ossicles; plates of calcareous ring asymmetrical with pointed anterior projections / teeth, 2 radial plates each with 2 anterior projections, remaining plates with single anterior projection, wide rounded tongue-like posterior projections of variable length; ossicles myriotrochid wheels only, few only in posterior dorsal body wall; wheels of one type, all teeth pointing towards centre of hub; spokes irregular, about half branching proximally, some branches not reaching rim, some spokes with crossconnections; teeth variably sub-equal or different in size; hubs small, irregular, not disc-like, lacking perforations, formed by junction of spokes; largest wheel with diameter 248 µ m, hub diameter 40 µ m, 13 spokes at hub, 23 spokes at rim, 30 equal teeth; smallest wheel with diameter 200 µ m, hub diameter 24 µ m, 12 spokes at hub, 16 spokes at rim, 28 unequal teeth.

Distribution. Antarctic Peninsula, 65.47ºS 69.03ºW, 350 m.

Remarks. Myriotrochus hesperides O’Loughlin and Manjón-Cabeza, 2009 was the second Antarctic shelf Myriotrochus species to be described. Amongst Myriotrochus species it is closest to Myriotrochus clarki Gage and Billett, 1986 from the Rockall Trough in the N Atlantic at 1605–2515 m. The species are distinguished in O’Loughlin et al. 2009.

Figures

Figure 5. a, montage photo of wheels from body wall of holotype of Myriotrochus hesperides O’Loughlin and Manjón-Cabeza, 2009 (Antarctic Peninsula; slide NMV F161516); b, montage photos of wheels from body wall of holotype of Myriotrochus nikiae sp. nov., with insert drawing of dorso-lateral radial (2 anterior projections) and adjacent inter-radial (single anterior projection) plates from calcareous ring (Ross Sea; NIWA 37812).