Plesiocolochirus dispar cf.
©Anne Hoggett: Plesiocolochirus dispar cf. with body about 12 mm long found in the LIRS aquarium, presumably came in as a larva (lab photo). Lateral view showing one of three ambulacral rows with many tube feet on ventral surface and two ambulacral rows with sparse tube feet on dorsal surface.
©Anne Hoggett: Plesiocolochirus dispar cf. with body about 12 mm long found in the LIRS aquarium (lab photo). Ventral view showing three ambulacral rows with many tube feet and bare interradii. Note two short oral tentacles, each with a red spot that may be light-sensitive.
©Anne Hoggett: Plesiocolochirus dispar cf. with body about 12 mm long found in the LIRS aquarium, ventro-lateral view (lab photo).
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Echinodermata
Class
Holothuroidea
Order
Dendrochirotida
Family
Cucumariidae
Genus
Plesiocolochirus
Species
Plesiocolochirus dispar cf.
Distinguishing features
A small (< 2 cm), cryptic, orange/brown holothurian with ten branched oral tentacles mottled brown and cream. Three ambulacral rows with many tube feet on ventral surface, two ambulacral rows with sparse tube feet on dorsal surface.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Comments
Australian Museum specimen J17576 was identified as Plesiocolochirus dispar by Dr Frank Rowe in the 1980s. O'Louglin et al (2016) redefined Plesiocolochirus as having numerous interradial tube feet, among other things. The live photo of J17576 provided here closely resembles the specimen photographed in 2017, which does not have interradial tube feet. If the species identification by Frank Rowe is correct, then it appears that Plesiocolochirus dispar has been assigned to the wrong genus.
by Anne Hoggett
Distribution
Web resources
References
- O'Loughlin, P.M. (2016). The sea cucumbers of Camden Sound in northwest Australia, including four new species (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria, 75: 7-52. LIRS catalog number 90254.