GULF OF MEXICO 



393 



As it is not uncommon in Florida it will probably 

 also be found in Yucatan. 



8 Holothuria surinamensis Ludwig 



Holothuria surinamensis Ludwig, 1875, p. Ill, fig. 37; 

 Deichmann, 1930, p. 63, pi. 3, figs. 12-15, 19. 



Diagnosis. — Up to 20 cm. long, cylindrical or 

 slightly broader posteriorly, with 20 small terminal 

 tentacles and few, scattered tube feet, more 

 papilliform on the dorsal side. Color chocolate 

 brown, often faded; tentacles yellow; skin contains 

 a greenish pigment, soluble in alcohol. Spicules a 

 close layer of tables with reduced disk (except in 

 young individuals) ; spire with four slender rods, 

 ending in four erect spines and four double pairs, 

 forming a Maltese cross. Large flattened bars 

 with dentate or perforated margin below the 

 tables, especially numerous near the appendages. 

 Type: Wiirzburg. Type locality: Surinam. 

 Distribution: Ranges from Surinam southward 

 to Port Seguro, Brazil, and northward to Bar- 

 bados and Jamaica; common in Bermuda. Also 

 taken at Cape Florida and other localities in 

 "Florida," including Biscayne Bay. Like H. 

 parvula it occurs in large numbers under flat 

 rocks, and it divides also quite normally by 

 transverse fission. 



9 Holothuria impatiens (ForskSl) 



FIQ. 66: 9-11 



Fislularia impatiens Forsk&l, 1775, p. 121, pi. 39, fig. B. 

 Holothuria impatiens Deichmann, 1930, p. 64, pi. 3, 

 figs. 17-18. 



Diagnosis. — Up to 15 to 20 cm. long; shape 

 similar to that of H. surinamensis but more warty 

 and rougher to the touch; color various shades of 

 gray and brown. Spicules, a uniform layer of 

 tables with almost squarish disk with eight large 

 marginal holes and squat spire with numerous 

 teeth on top, and an inner layer of buttons with 

 three pairs of large holes. Type: Undoubtedly 

 lost. Type locality: Suez. Distribution: Almost 

 circumtropical. Common in the West Indies and 

 recently reported from Bermuda (Clark, 1942). 

 A few specimens taken at low tide but apparently 

 most specimens live concealed among rocks a little 

 deeper than most collectors are able to reach. 

 There are few records from Florida probably due to 

 the difficulty in earlier times to collect below low 

 tide. One would, however, expect that it does 

 occur in the Gulf, especially in the part where there 

 are coral reefs. 



10 Holothuria arenicola Semper 



FIG. 66: 14-17 



Holothuria arenicola Semper, 1868, p. 61, pi. 20, pi. 30, 

 fig. 13, pi. 31, fig. 4; Deichmann, 1930, p. 66, pi. 4, figs. 

 1-9. 



Diagnosis. — Up to 20 cm. long, cigar-shaped or 

 curved, with 20 small terminal tentacles and scat- 

 tered small cylindrical tube feet, dorsafly and 

 ventrally. Color variable, mostly grayish with 

 two dorsal rows of dark patches; occasionally uni- 

 formly colored or dark rusty or blackish, possibly 

 due to external conditions. Spicules, a scattered 

 layer of small tables and an inner layer of small 

 oval buttons with six holes, usually small. Type: 

 Possibly in Germany. Type locality: Bohol, 

 Philippines. Distribution: Almost circumtropical; 

 in the western Atlantic it ranges from Bahia, 

 Brazil, to Bermuda, including the Lesser Antilles 

 and Jamaica. From Florida it is known from 

 Cape Florida and Tortugas. Normally, this spe- 

 cies is found buried in sand or mud, but it may 

 possibly also hide among stones. With the mod- 

 ern, more intensive methods of collecting with 

 digging and sifting, it will probably prove to be 

 much more common than hitherto assumed. 



11 Holothuria princeps Selenka 



Holothuria princeps Selenka, 1867, p. 332, pi. 18, figs. 

 67-69; Deichmann, 1930, p. 58, pi. 2, figs. 1-8. 



Holothuria imperator Deichmann, 1930, p, 62, pi. 3, figs. 

 1-11. 



Diagnosis. — Large forms, 20 to 30 cm. or more, 

 often contracted to short thick-skinned barrels. 

 Tentacles small, terminal; tube feet scattered 

 over the entire surface, often with a conical base 

 and ventrall}' ending in a cylindrical part, dorsally 

 in a papilla. Color different shades of brown and 

 dark yellow, often with a lighter ring around the 

 base of the appendage. Spicules small tables more 

 or less defect and in some individuals a few huge 

 tables in the base of the appendages with conical 

 spire which projects through the skin. An inner 

 layer of irregular buttons, often incomplete with 

 three or more pairs of holes and irregularly 

 knobbed surface. Type: Museum of Compara- 

 tive Zoology. Type locality: Florida. Distribu- 

 tion: As far as known only reported from the 

 western coast of Florida and San Domingo and 

 Yucatan; from the latter region described as H. 

 imperator. The six specimens from Yucatan upon 

 which H. imperator was established were only 

 slightly larger than the types of princeps so a com- 



