Ahmed S. Thandar

A new species of Havelockia Pearson, 1903 from the Argentine Sea (Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida: Sclerodactylidae)

Havelockia pegi sp. nov., is here described from shallow waters of the Argentine Sea. This new species is distinctive in the purple colouration of its tentacles, scarcity of body wall ossicles and the presence of rosette-shaped ossicles in both the introvert and the tentacles. It is not closely related to any of its congenors. This is the first record of a true sclerodactylid from Argentina. Thandarum hernandezi Martinez & Brogger, 2012, described in the family Sclerodactylidae, is now classified in the family Sclerothyonidae.

Two new subfamilies, three new species and a new subspecies of dendrochirotid sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

Some materials in the Natural History Museum, London, originating from various parts of the world, proved on examination, to comprise two new species herein described as Cladodactyla pesdispersa n. sp. and Thyonina rasidae n. sp., and a new subspecies, Havelockia ferali andamanensis n. subsp. In addition, some specimens examined from the museum collections of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala in India contained, besides the well-known dendrochirotids, Aslia forbesi (Bell) and Stolus buccalis (Stimpson), two specimens which proved to also represent a new species of Thyonina, herein described as Thyonina bijui n. sp., as it differs significantly from T. rasidae n. sp. from Pakistan and the South African T. articulata Vaney. For the genus Thyonina, currently attributed to the subfamily Thyoninae, a new subfamily Thyonininae is here diagnosed. In addition a new subfamily Hemithyoninae is proposed for Hemithyone semperi (Bell), also placed in the Thyoninae till now.

A new genus and a new species in the sea cucumber subfamily Colochirinae (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida: Cucumariidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

A new genus Hemiocnus is here erected to accommodate the Mediterranean dendrochirotid sea cucumber Cladodactyla syracusana Grube, currently classified, with some doubt, in the cucumariid genus Pseudocnella. At the same time a new cucumariid species, Hemiocnus rubrobrunneus, is described from some Tunisian material, misidentified as Pseudocnella syracusana (Grube), received from the United States National Museum. The new genus appears most closely related to Pseudocnella than to any other genus within the Colochirinae. Although its body wall ossicles resemble those of Pseudocnella spp. it differs in that the two ventral-most tentacles are reduced and in the presence of rosettes in the tentacles. P. syracusana also cannot be classified in Ocnus because of the presence of multi-layered, fir-cone shaped plates in the body wall, often with one end denticulate; such ossicles are lacking in the type species of the latter genus. The new species, Hemiocnus rubrobrunneus, on the other hand, shows some resemblance to H. syracusanus in its characteristic buttons and incomplete baskets, differing in its softer body wall, lack of fir-cone-shaped plates and in the presence of rosettes and complete baskets in the body wall. There are also some resemblances of the new species to the Mediterranean species of Ocnus viz. O. brunneus, O. planci and O. lacteus, but the soft nature of the body wall, shallow quadrilocular instead of deep trilocular baskets, and the presence of large knobbed plates in the anal region precludes its inclusion in this genus.

On some sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from off the south and west coasts of South Africa collected by the South African Environmental and Observation Network (SAEON)

Twenty four specimens of holothuroids recently received from the South African Environmental and Observation Network (SAEON), collected from off the south and west coasts of South Africa, are herein recorded and/or described. The specimens comprise eight nominal and one indeterminate species and represent both shallow-water and deep-sea forms, distributed from Plettenberg Bay to just north of Lamberts Bay in the Western Cape Province. There are no new species but two new records for the South African region and extensions of horizontal and bathymetric distributions of the other species. Additions to the South African fauna are Zygothuria lactea (Théel, 1886) and Synallactes cf. challengeri (Théel, 1886). The paper also contains the first definite record of Thyone venusta Selenka, 1868, originally described from the Red Sea. Distribution ranges of the following species have been altered Synallactes viridilimus Cherbonnier, 1952; S. mollis Cherbonnier, 1952 and Psuedostichopus langeae Thandar, 2009.

Biodiversity and distribution of the southern African sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

The history of the southern African holothuroid fauna south of the tropic of Capricorn, is updated and the biodiversity and distribution of the fauna discussed. All five currently recognized orders are represented, distributed over 24 families, 74 genera and 163 species. As many as 117 species are shelf forms comprising the following faunistic components : 36% Indo-Pacific, 12% West Indian Ocean, 1% Atlantic and 51% endemic. Four faunistic provinces are recognized : tropical Indo-Pacific Province on the east coast, extending to St Lucia in northern KwaZulu-Natal; the Subtropical (Natal) province, from this point to Port St. Johns in the Eastern Cape Province; the Warm Temperate (Agulhas) Province from this point to Cape Point in the Western Cape Province; and the Cold Temperate (Namaqua) from Cape Point to Walvis Bay in Namibia. Vertical distribution of the approximately 90 species collected from more than one locality is also given. The origin of the holothuroid fauna is briefly discussed and reiterated that the Indo-Pacific component moved in from the north mostly by way of the Mozambique-Agulhas Current. The origin of the endemic component is obscure but surmised that it is perhaps also of Indo-Pacific origin with negligible contribution from the Atlantic.

On some sea cucumbers from Ghana (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) with descriptions of a new genus and one new species

This paper reports on some sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) in the collections of the NHMUK, taken off the coast of Ghana. Most result from collections around Accra during the years 1949-52. A couple of other species are included. Altogether six species are here reported, viz. Holothuria (Holothuria) dakarensis Panning, 1939; Holothuria (Semperothuria) imitans Ludwig, 1875; Holothuria (Vaneyothuria) lentiginosa lentiginosa (von Marenzeller,1893); Stereoderma congoana (Heding, 1935); Ocnus cruciformis Thandar n. sp. and Leptopentacta cabindaensis (Cherbonnier, 1949) herein transferred to a new genus Cherbocnus Thandar erected for this purpose. Another West African species, Cladodactyla monodi Cherbonnier, 1950 is referred to Stereoderma. All cucumariids are West African forms whereas the holothuriids are shared with the North-West Atlantic Ocean.

Designation of type genus for the holothuroid family Cucumellidae (Echinodermata : Holothuroidea : Dendrochirotida) with re-examination of the holotype of Cucumella decaryi Cherbonnier

Thandar & Arumugam (2011), in their erection of the new dactylochirotid family Cucumellidae, inadvertently omitted to designate its type genus. This error is here rectified and Cucumella Heding (in Ludwig & Heding, 1935) is designated the type genus of the new family Cucumellidae to comply with the requirements of Article 61 of the International Code. Following Smirnov (2012), in his revised classification of the Holothuroidea, the new family is now classified in the order Dendrochirotida. In addition, the holotype of Cucumella decaryi Cherbonnier is re-examined to confirm its synonymy with Neostichopus grammatus (H.L. Clark).