Molpadiodemas violaceus ( Théel, 1886 ) O'Loughlin & Ahearn, 2005

O'Loughlin, P. Mark & Ahearn, Cynthia, 2005, A review of pygal-furrowed Synallactidae (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), with new species from the Antarctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 62 (2), pp. 147-179 : 165

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.24199/j.mmv.2005.62.5

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/116087F5-FFBA-FFF2-FF3D-7EBFFC5D18DC

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Molpadiodemas violaceus ( Théel, 1886 )
status

comb. nov.

Molpadiodemas violaceus ( Théel, 1886) View in CoL comb. nov.

Table 3, Figures 1e, i View Figure 1 , 2f View Figure 2 , 7g –i View Figure 7 , 8u–x View Figure 8

Pseudostichopus villosus var. violaceus Théel, 1886: 172 , pl. 10 fig 6b (raised to species status here).

Pseudostichopus villosus Théel, 1886: 170–171 (part; syntypes from Challenger stns 61, 147, 325; non Pseudostichopus villosus Théel, 1886 ).

Material examined. Holotype. Pseudostichopus villosus var. violaceus Théel, 1886 . Southern Ocean , off Shackleton Ice Shelf, 62°26'S, 95°44'E, 3612 m, Challenger stn 156, BMNH 86.10 .2.156. GoogleMaps

Other material. Pseudostichopus villosus Théel, 1886 . Syntypes. North-western Atlantic Ocean , 34°54'N, 56°38'W, 5212 m, Challenger stn 61, BMNH 86.10 GoogleMaps . 2.145 (2); southern Indian Ocean , off Crozet I., 46°16'S, 48°27'E, 2926 m, Challenger stn 147, BMNH 86.10 GoogleMaps . 2.154 (1); south Atlantic Ocean , off Argentina, 36°44'S, 46°16'W, 4846 m, Challenger stn 325, BMNH 86.10 GoogleMaps .2.150 (1).

Weddell Sea, S of South Orkney Is, 3587–3660 m, USNM E48600 (1); 1008106 (4); NMV F101844 (2).

South Atlantic Ocean, Scotia Sea, South Orkney Is, 2196 m, USNM E49337 About USNM (2); 3250–3285 m , E48651 (11); NMV F101843 About NMV (2); Burdwood Bank , 3514–3642 m , USNM E48627 About USNM (1); 4026–4063 m , E48654 (2); South Sandwich Is , 5435–5453 m , E48637 (6); NMV F101842 About NMV (2); 4758 m , E48626 (1); 1190–1469 m, 1022456 (3); Drake Passage , 3788–3944 m , USNM 1008117 About USNM (1); 2324–3020 m , E48591 (1).

South Pacific Ocean, Chile, depth unknown, USNM E48636 (1); Peru-Chile Trench, 6006 m, E48611 (1); 6146–6354 m, 1022608 (2); NMV F101848 (1); 5069–5173 m, USNM 1022609 (1); SE Pacific Basin, 4731 m, E48630 (3); 4773 m, E49334 (1); 3859 m, E48657 (3); 4572–4848 m, E49366 (1); 3694 m, E48605 (2); 4682 m, 1022455 (1).

Description. Up to 220 mm long; body wall leathery, pliable, surface folded and wrinkled, sometimes mucilaginous; sparse small grit and globigerine attachments; body rounded in transverse section, tapered anteriorly, posteriorly, frequently sac-like; ventrolateral margin rounded, not distinctive, lacking brim, mouth terminal ventral; even cover of small soft cylindrical tube feet all over body, never erect, evident in small specimens only, slightly larger anteriorly and pygally, may be matted, typically 1.0 mm, long, 0.3 mm diameter, frequently withdrawn in small pits, not evident on smooth leathery body wall of largest specimens; ossicles in tentacles abundant, rare in gonad; tentacle ossicles variable, predominantly bluntly tapered rarely curved unbranched smooth thick rods with distinct knob-like central swelling, some rods lacking central swelling, some rods with bifurcate or intertwined ends, some with lateral and terminal perforations, rare blunt spines and knobs, rods frequently 250 Μm long, up to 350 µm long; gonad ossicles rarely present, straight and irregular sometimes bluntly spinous short thin rods, some with central swelling, some branching creating perforations, never mesh ossicles, up to 150 Μm long.

Colour. Brown to grey-brown to off-white; tube feet brown to pale brown to off-white.

Distribution. Atlantic, southern Indian and Pacific, and Southern Oceans, Weddell Sea, Scotia Sea, SE Pacific Basin, 2196–6354m.

Remarks. Théel (1886) established ten syntypes for Pseudostichopus villosus , and a holotype for P. villosus var. violaceus . Three of the ten syntypes of P. villosus are conspecific with the type of P. villosus var violaceus .

Amongst Molpadiodemas species, the distinguishing characters are: leathery body wall; tube feet inconspicuous in large specimens, when small even cover of soft cylindrical tube feet with some anterior and pygal matting; tentacle ossicles frequently thick smooth bluntly-tapered rods, many with large knob-like central swelling; rare presence in gonad of short, thin rod ossicles.

USNM

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

NMV

Museum Victoria

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Echinodermata

Class

Holothuroidea

Order

Persiculida

Family

Molpadiodemidae

Genus

Molpadiodemas

Loc

Molpadiodemas violaceus ( Théel, 1886 )

O'Loughlin, P. Mark & Ahearn, Cynthia 2005
2005
Loc

Pseudostichopus villosus var. violaceus Théel, 1886: 172

Theel, H. 1886: 172
1886
Loc

Pseudostichopus villosus Théel, 1886: 170–171

Theel, H. 1886: 171
1886
Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF