Penilidia desbarresi sp. nov. (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Elasipodida) from the upper slope of Newfoundland and re-description of P. ludwigi (von Marenzeller, 1893)

Abstract

Penilpidia desbarresi sp. nov. was collected in the Desbarres Canyon at a depth of 525 m, off the southeastern coast of insular Newfoundland, eastern Canada. The new species differs from the type species Penilpidia ludwigi (von Marenzeller, 1983) in having larger middle spines on arched rod-type ossicles on the dorsum and by having the lobe around the posterior body end formed by six pairs of very small tube feet. Penilpidia desbarresi sp. nov was photographed in situ and sampled on a single occasion in July 2007. This gonochoric species (~1–2 cm long) was found on a muddy substrate and individuals were aggregated, reaching a density of ~50 ind. m⁻² . Preliminary evidence points to brooding, which would be a first for the family Elpidiidae. Penilpidia ludwigi, not recorded for more than 100 years after its first description, is re-described.

Keywords:

• Penilpidia
• elpidiid holothurians
• deep sea
• upper slope
• submarine canyons
• reproduction
• Canada
• Newfoundland

Published in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research, Norway

Published in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research, Norway

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the captain and crew of the CCGS Hudson and the staff of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO), as well as the ROPOS team for their help during the collection. The authors are grateful to Christian Borowski and Horst Weikert for specimens of Penilpidia ludwigi sampled in the Mediterranean on the Meteor 25/2 cruise. Helmut Sattmann kindly provided information on the specimens of P. ludwigi stored at the Naturhistorisches Museum, Wien. We thank Dieter Fiege for his kind help at various stages of our work. Many thanks also to Cam Lirette for the map and Doris Pawson for assistance in many ways. The research was partly funded by the International Fisheries and Oceans Governance Fund, DFO High Priority Funds and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Notes

Published in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research, Norway