Holothuria (Stauropora) hawaiiensis Fisher 1907

Holothuria (Stauropora) cf. hawaiiensis Fisher, 1907 Figure 2 Holothuria hawaiiensis Fisher, 1907; 668, pl. 68, fig. 4 a–g. Holothuria (Holothuria) hawaiiensis; Panning, 1935: 92, fig. 78a–n. Holothuria (Stauropora) hawaiiensis; Rowe, 1969: 14 (passim); Cherbonnier, 1988: 77, fig.30 A–N. Holothuria (Lessonothuria) hawaiiensis; Massin, 1996: 158, figs 7A–H, 8A–H; Massin, 1999: 22, figs. 15-A–J, 16, 17, 110e; Samyn, 2003: 39, 45; Samyn & Tallon, 2005: supplementary material; Samyn et al., 2006: 68–69, fig. 59. Description. Specimen small, length about 55 mm, breadth in mid-body about 7 mm; tentacles 20. Colour in alcohol, yellowish white. Podia scattered, ventral podia with small sucking discs; dorsal ones better developed, arising from tiny wart like prominences. Calcareous ring with high radial plates and much smaller interradial plates. Tables of body wall of two types: with circular disc and tall spires provided with a single cross bar; or with two or more cross-bars; bottom of disc often with large circular or cruciform hole; spire tall, ending in numerous, fairly well-developed teeth. Buttons smooth, never rugose, quite irregular with three or more series of holes, but not forming plates; sometimes regular, sometimes slightly twisted. Tube feet ossicles in the form of curved rods, perforated at ends. Material examined. Park Rynie, southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 1 spec. Remarks. It is with some hesitation that this unique example is determined as H. hawaiiensis. It differs in the lower number of tentacles than the holotype and other reasonably well described materials by Massin (1996 & 1999) and Samyn et al (2006). However, Cherbonnier (1988) also reported 20 tentacles in his material from Madagascar. The specimen in hand also varies slightly in colouration from the type - perhaps the original colour is lost due to long preservation. Tables with a bottom cruciform hole were not often detected but those with a large central hole were quite common. The cross-bridges of the spire varied from 1 to 4. The buttons and tables strongly resemble those illustrated for the species by Fisher (1907) and Cherbonnier (1988). Rowe (1969) comments that cruciform holes are only present at bottom of the shorter tables and round holes at the bottom of the taller tables. Samyn (pers. comm.) is of the opinion that podial deposits of this species may suggest that it belongs to the subgenus Lessonothuria. In fact, Massin (1996 & 1999) also classifies his materials in Lessonothuria but the elaborate podial deposits he illustrates are absent in the southern African form as well as Cherbonier’s (1988) Madagascar material. Hence the species is left to stand in Stauropora. It is possible that both the South African and Madagascar materials belong to another as yet undescribed species.