Holothuria (Microthele) fuscogilva Cherbonnier, 1980: 628: fig. 7a-l , pl. 1C (black and white plate); Conand, 1981: 523, figs 1c, c’; Conand & Chaudrt, 1985: 295; Cannon & Silver, 1986: 24; Féral & Cherbonnier, 1986: 88; Vandenspiegel & Jangoux, 1989: 225; Conand, 1989: 26, fig. 1; Férak, 1990: 366,textfig.; Kerr et al., 1992: 208, pl. 1h, figs 3c-d, 4d; Liao & A.M. Clark, 1995: 448; Pawson, 1995: 188; Gosliner et al., 1996: 2789, fig. 1030; Liao, 1997: 119, fig. 68a-l; Conand, 1998: 1181, textfig. + map; James, 1998: 15; Forbes et al., 1999: 41, colour plate + map; Reichenbach, 1999: 103ss; Ramofafia et al., 2000: 1046ss; Ramofafia & Byrne, 2001: 13ss; Battaglene et al., 2002: 31ss; Kinch, 2002: 5; Skewes et al., 2002: 13; Desurmont, 2003: 12; Ramofafia et al., 2003: §(!ss; James, 2004: 123; Uthicke et al., 2004: 837ss, figs 1B-G, 2A-D; Samyn et al., 2005; 15; Mmbaga & Mgaya, 2006: 3ss; Purcell & Tekanene, 2006: 29.
Holothuria fuscogilva; Adams, 1992: 13; Conand & Byrne, 1993:3ss; Kerr et al., 1993: 782ss; Allen & Steene, 1994: 244; Holland, 1994: 2; Richard et al., 1994: 94; Sant, 1995: 27; Conand & Tuwo, 1996: 18; James, 2001: 5, fig. 2 (photo); Chen, 2003: 20; Lane, 2004: 232; Rasolofonirina et al., 2004: 137; Shiell, 2005: 8.
Microthele nobilis; Panning, 1941: 10, figs 7-8; Panning, 1944: 58: figs 27, 28a-i. (non H. nobilis Selenka, 1867); Chang & Liao, 1963: 65, pl. 2, fig. 5.
Holothuria (Microthele) nobilis; Massin, 1999: 33, figs 24a-e, 25a-k, 26a-d, 27, 110g-h (colour plates); Schoppe, 2000: 115, colour plate.
Type data: EcHh 3078; New Caledonia; 10-20 m depth; coll. ORSTOM; 1979; well preserved; well relaxed; ventro-longitudinal dissection; calcareous ring and attached structures separated from specimen; specimen eviscerated.
Anatomical description: 186 mm long; 45-105 mm wide; bivium arched; trivium with distinct sole; mouth ventral; anus terminal; dorsal body wall white-beige, irregularly mottled with light brown; ventral body wall white-beige; tentacles brownish; dorsal appendages white-beige; ventral tube feet white-beige; dorsal appendages dispersed regularily over complete bivium; ventral tube feet dispersed regularily over complete trivium; bivium and trivium separated by a prominent lateral fringe of appendages; body wall 11 mm thick, rough to the touch; tentacles rather small, number not counted; anus bordered by small anal teeth; radial plates with slightly indented posterior side; radial plates 1,5 times wider than interradial ones; radial plates roughly two times longer than interradial ones; number of tentacle ampullae could not be determined; one Polian vesicles observed; number of stone canals could not be determined; gonad ramified; longitudinal muscles narrow, bifid and free at edges; Cuvierian tubules present.
Ossicle description: tentacles with rods of various sizes with distal ends rugose; dorsal and ventral body wall with tables with smooth slightly undulating disc perforated by one central hole and one ring of peripheral holes, four short pillars united by a single cross beam ending in a spiny crown and fenestraed ellipsoid and some nodulous buttons; dorsal appendages with tables and buttons similar in shape to those of the body wall and in addition irregular perforated plates; ventral tube feet with tables similar as body wall, smooth buttons buttons with up to 9 pair of holes and large perforated plates with 3-5 rows of holes; longitudinal and cloacal retractor muscles, cloaca, respiratory tree and gut devoid of ossicles; ossicle assemblage of gonad and rete mirabile could not be assessed.
Known distribution: East Africa, Mozambique, India (Gulf of Mannar, Laccadives) ; Maldives, Indonesia (Sulawesi), New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Kiribati.
Taxonomic decision: valid species (confirmed after re-examination of the holotype).
For original description click here.
{morfeo 39}
