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The Bathyal Holothurians of the New Zealand Region

[Introduction]

Diagnosis: Tentacles 10, rarely 11 to 12 or 20. Midventral radius naked. Lateral ventral radii each with a single row of pedicels, which may be distributed throughout radius, or confined to posterior half or posterior extremity. Dorsally, a smaller number of long, short or rudimentary processes, more common anteriorly, where they may form a branched or unbranched lobe-like appendage. Calcareous deposits most commonly include straight or slightly curved, C-shaped or horseshoe shaped rods, three-armed spicules; rarely minute net-like plates, rosette-shaped or elliptical bodies. (After Theel, 1882.)

Remarks: This is a large family, containing a dozen nominal genera. The distribution is cosmopolitan in all depths below about 500 metres. Representatives are more common in the Northern Hemisphere.

Two genera are now known to be present in the New Zealand region (Pawson, 1964a). They may be distinguished as follows:

1 (2) Lateral ventral radii with pedicels distributed along their entire length Scotoplanes Theel
2 (1) Pedicels of the lateral ventral radii confined to the posterior half of each radius Amperima Pawson