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Holothuria flammea Quoy & Gaimard, 1833: 117, pl. 6, figs 5-6.

Stichopus flammeus; Brandt, 1835: 73; Selenka, 1867: 320.

Type data: EcHh 3270; Vanikoro (Phlippines), unknown depth; coll. Quoy & Gaimard; 1829; well preserved; well-relaxed; ventro-longitudinal dissection; specimen partly eviscerated.

Anatomical description: 65 mm long; 15-25 mm wide; bivium arched; trivium flattened; mouth ventral; anus terminal; dorsal body wall beige brown, mottled with darker brown; ventral body wall beige-brown; tentacles beige; dorsal appendages beige-brown; ventral tube feet beige; dorsal papillae in distinct rows along the ambulacrae; ventral tube feet dispersed all over trivium, but mainly in ambulacrae; bivium and trivium not separated by lateral fringe of appendages; body wall 6-8 mm thick, rough to the touch; 15 small tentacles counted; radial plates with straight posterior side; radial plates twice as wide as interradial ones; radial plates 3 times longer than interradial ones; number of tentacle ampullae could not be determined; tentacle ampullae 4 mm long; number of Polian vesicles could not be determined; presence of stone canals could not be determined; gonad not observed; longitudinal muscles bifid, very wide, touching each other, attached at edges. Cuvierian tubules absent.

Ossicle description: tentacles with non-bifuracating rods of various sizes, slightly rugose distally; dorsal and ventral body wall witrh tables with roundish disc perforated by four central holes and one ring of peripheral holes, spire with one cross-beam, ending in a narrow simple crown, buttons regular, with smooth rim, and generally perforated by three pairs of holes; dorsal appendages with tables similar to those of the body wall and with buttons with 3-5 pairs of holes and with rod-like buttons; ventral tube feet with tables and buttons silmilar to those of the body wall and with in addition also perforated plates; longitudinal muscles with O-shaped ossicles; cloaca with smooth irregular rods; loacal retractor muscles and respiratory tree devoid of ossicles; ossicle assemblage of the gonad, rete mirabile and gut was not determined.

Known distribution: Vanikoro, Philippines.

Taxonomic decision: junior subjective synonym of H. monacaria Lesson, 1830 (taxonomic decision for synonymy based upon re-examination of holotype of H. flammea and description of H. monacaria) of which no more type material exists. The name H. monacaria is to be stabilized by the designation of a neotype.

Remarks: Holothuria flammea is redescribed by Cherbonnier (1952) whereby he notes that the species is, without doubt, a synonym of Holothuria monacaria Lesson, 1830 (see also the original label on the jar; the name Stichopus monacaria Lesson can still be read). H. monacaria, in turn, is generally regarded as one of the many subjective synonyms of H. hilla[1]. The ossicle assemblage of H. flammea indeed indicates that H. flammea, just as H. hilla, belongs to Mertensiothuria. However, it is unlikely that H. flammea is also a synonym of H. hilla (see also the redescription of H. hilla) given that: (i) H. flammea does not present Cuvierian tubules whereas H. hilla generally is considered to possess these (see also remarks with H. hilla) and (iii) the ossicles of the cloaca are irregular smooth slender rods in H. flammea whereas they are spiky rods in H. hilla.

Figure – Original drawing of Holothuria monacaria Lesson, 1830.

For original description click here.

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