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The Bathyal Holothurians of the New Zealand Region

[Introduction]

Diagnosis: Body elongate, more or less cylindrical. Ventrolateral radii each with large well developed pedicels, distributed throughout the radius. Midventral radius naked, or with some small pedicels. Dorsal processes elongate, flexible, distributed throughout the radii. Calcareous deposits include wheels in large numbers. Gonads branched. Mesenteries as continuous membranes. (After Mortensen, 1927; Deichmann, 1930.)

This family is well defined on the basis of the presence of numerous wheels in all genera. Representatives are found in all depths, and the family is cosmopolitan.

The family Laetmogonidae contains eight genera, of which those known from New Zealand may be distinguished as follows:

1 (8) Midventral radius naked.
2 (3) Apart from the deposits in the processes and pedicels, deposits of the dorsal bodywall aggregated into heaps Bathygone Pawson (p. 26)
3 (2) Deposits scattered, not aggregated.
4 (5) Dorsal processes elongate, not retractile, usually not in a crowded series Laetmogone Theel (p. 22)
5 (4) Dorsal processes short, small, retractile, in a crowded series in each radius.
6 (7) Deposits wheels of one type strongly vaulted Benthogone Koehler (p. 26)
7 (6) Deposits wheels of two distinct types Ilyodaemon Theel (p. 20)page 20
8 (1) Midventral radius with a double series of pedicels Pannychia Theel (p. 22)