Paulayellus, Martins & Tavares, 2018

Martins, Luciana & Tavares, Marcos, 2018, A new genus and species of Sclerodactylidae (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Sclerothyoninae) from the Pacific coast of Panama, and assignment of Neopentamera anexigua to Sclerothyoninae, Zootaxa 4429 (1), pp. 157-164 : 160-161

Paulayellus gen. nov.

Diagnosis. Tentacles 10, ventral-most two much reduced. Tube feet arranged into two rows, restricted to ambulacra. Calcareous ring plates undivided, posterior processes long, up to two times height of calcareous ring plate. Body wall ossicles include cups, knobbed buttons and plates. Tentacles with rods. Introvert with plates. Tube feet with supporting rods, end plates small.

Type species. Paulayellus gustavi sp. nov., by original designation and monotypy.

Species included. Genus monotypic.

Etymology. The generic name is a combination of the patronym of marine biologist and systematist Gustav Paulay and the Latin suffix ellus (little). Gender: masculine.

Remarks. Paulayellus gen. nov. is herein assigned to Sclerothyoninae , whose diagnostic characters ( Thandar, 1989; see also the above diagnosis for Sclerothyoninae ) are readly recognized in the new genus. They are as follow: Tentacles 10, ventral-most two much reduced. Calcareous ring not tubular, radial and interradial plates united at base only. Posterior paired processes of radial plates long, 2-8 times height of ring, either entire or broken into several pieces.

Paulayellus gen. nov. differs from the other Sclerothyoninae genera in having the posterior processes of the radial plates undivided. Additionally, the new genus differs from Sclerothyone , Thandarum and Neopentamera in having knobbed buttons, plates and cups in the body wall (whereas the body wall is furnished only with tables and plates in Sclerothyone , Temparena and Thandarum , and only with knobbed buttons and plates in Neopentamera .