Actinopyga atypica sp. nov. plus two new holothuroid records from the coastal waters of Pakistan (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

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Authors: QURATULAN AHMED, Ahmed S. Thandar, Qadeer Mohammad Ali, Iqra Shaikh
Cited by: 1

Abstract

A new species, Actinopyga atypica sp. nov., in the sea cucumber family Holothuriidae, plus two new holothuroid records from the Pakistan coastal waters are here described. The new species differs from all known species of Actinopyga in possessing a cucumariid-type of calcareous ring accompanied by slender, straight, terminally forked rods in the body wall, unlike the thick, usually well-branched rods of other species of the genus, setting it apart from all known congenerics. Of the two additional records one is another holothuriid herein attributed to the Indo-West Pacific species Holothuria (Selenkothuria) erinacea Semper, 1868. It is suspected to be a juvenile of this species in possessing, in addition to the perforated rods and plates in the body wall, well-formed tables, suspected to be a juvenile character, as pertains in its consubgenerics H. (S.) parva Krauss (in Lampert, 1885) and H. (S.) moebii Ludwig, 1883. The third species is a thyonid, Thyonina bijui Thandar, 2017, belonging to the family Thyonidae (sensu Smirnov 2012), originally described from Kerala, India.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Echinoderm biology and ecology Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds Marine Sponges and Natural Products

Publication details

Journal / source
Zootaxa
Publisher
Magnolia Press
Volume
5750
Issue
3
Pages
387–399
Publication date
20 January 2026
Language
EN