Holothuria glandifera Cherbonnier, 1955: 319, figs 1a-s, 2a-p.
Holothuria (Lessonothuria) glandifera; Rowe, 1969: 149; Clark & Rowe 197: 176; Price, 1982: 11; Pawson, 1995: 188; Samyn, 2003: 39; ? Kamura et al., 2005: 25.
Holothuria pardalis (var. ?); Heding, 1940 : 123, fig. 6 (non Holothuria pardalis Selenka, 1867).
Type data: EcHh 4089-bis; Tahiti; unknown depth; coll. Mission Ranson; 1952; well preserved; well relaxed; ventro-longitudinal dissection.
Anatomical description: 24 mm long; 8-14 mm wide; bivium arched; trivium with distinct sole; mouth ventral; anus terminal; dorsal body wall mottled brown-beige; ventral body wall brown; tentacles brownish; dorsal appendages dark brown; ventral tube feet dark brown; dorsal appendages dispersed regularily over complete bivium; ventral tube feet dispersed regularily over complete trivium; bivium and trivium not separated by a lateral fringe of appendages; body wall 1 mm thick, rough to the touch; tentacles rather small, number could not be determined; radial plates with slightly indented posterior side and with a well-marked median hole at the anterior side; radial plates 2 times wider than interradial ones; radial plates roughly more than two times longer than interradial ones; number of tentacle ampullae could not be determined; single Polian vesicle; number of stone canals could not be determined; gonad not observed; longitudinal muscles wide, bifid and attached at edges; Cuvierian tubules absent.
Ossicle description: dorsal body wall with tables with smooth undulating rim, one central hole and one ring of peripheral holes, four pillars ending in a narrow crown and irregular buttons with generally 3 pairs of holes; longitudinal muscle devoid of ossicles; ossicle assemblage of tentacles, ventral body wall, dorsal and ventral appendages, cloacal retractor muscles, gonad, cloaca, respiratory tree, rete mirabile and gut was not assessed.
Known distribution: Tahiti, ? Sri Lanka, Bahrein.
Taxonomic decision: valid species (confirmed after examination of the type series).
Remarks: Cherbonnier (1967) describes three specimens, ranging between 25 and 32 mm in length. Only two were recovered by us.
For original description click here.
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