CUCUMARIA BERINGIANA, A NEW SPECIES OF HOLOTHURIAN (HOLOTHUROIDEA, DENDROCHIROTIDA, CUCUMARIIDAE) FROM THE BERING SEA

A new species of holothurian, Cucumaria beringiana sp. n. (Holothuroidea, Dendrochirotida, Cucumariidae), is described from the Bering Sea. The new species differs from congeners by the structure of the ossicles in the body wall, tentacles, introvert and tube feet. The ossicles of the new species are similar to those of C. vegae, but unlike the latter, in C. beringiana the surface of the plates is densely covered with tubercles; the end plate of the tube feet is thicker, it bears tubercles on the surface and has significantly fewer holes. The body wall ossicles of C. beringiana share some features with selected tube feet ossicles of C. pusilla, but unlike the latter, they are densely covered with tubercles; in addition, the new species differs from C. pusilla by the thicker end plate of the tube feet with tubercles on the surface, and two ventral tentacles smaller than the others.