Holothuria (Selenkothuria) spinea Cherbonnier, 1988: 56, fig. 20A-N; Samyn, 2003: 69.
Type data: EcHh 2832; Nossi-Bé, Ambariobe (Madagascar); unknown depth; coll. J. Millot; X.1959; well-preserved; well-relaxed; not eviscerated; dissected longitudinally, posterior side cut away, calcareous ring cut away.
Anatomical description: 63 mm long; 5-10 mm wide; bivium arched; trivium slightly flattened; mouth ventral; position of anus could not be determined; dorsal body wall beige with brown areas; ventral body wall yellowish; tentacles white; ventral tube feet beige; dorsal appendages beige; dorsal appendages spread irregularly over complete bivium; ventral tube feet in distinct rows in ambulacra; bivium and trivium not separated by lateral fringe of appendages; body wall 0.5 mm thick, smooth to the touch; 13 tentacles counted; radial plates quadrangular, slightly indented posteriorly; interradial plates as wide as radial plates; radial plates + 2 times as long as interradial plates; number of tentacle ampullae could not be determined; 1 large Polian vesicle; no stone canals observed; gonad not observed; longitudinal muscles bifid, wide, flat, attached at edges; respiratory tree longer than 1/2 body length; cloaca 7 mm long; Cuvierian tubules absent.
Ossicle description: tentacles devoid of ossicles; dorsal body wall with many small, rugose, non-perforated rods; ventral body wall with few small, rugose, non-perforated rods; dorsal appendages with only reduced end-plate; ventral tube feet with only fully formed end-plate; ossicle assemblage of anal papillae could not be determined; longitudinal muscles devoid of ossicles; cloacal retractor muscles with many, smooth, non-perforated, slender rods; cloaca devoid of ossicles; Gonad devoid of ossicles.
Known distribution: Nosi- Bé and Tuléar (Madagascar).
Taxonomic decision: junior subjective synonym of Holothuria bacilla Cherbonnier, 1988 (decision taken after re-examination of the holotypes of both species).
Remarks: Cherbonnier (1988) described table ossicles from the body wall. These, so he stated, where ‘peu nombreuses (une ou deux par cm2)’. We have searched in vain for these ossicles and must conclude that they are but contamination. This finding led to the decision that H. spinea Cherbonnier, 1988 is a subjective synonym of H. bacilla Cherbonnier, 1988; the latter we give priority by using our rights of First Reviser.
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{morfeo 60}
