Thyone herberti, a new dendrochirotid species from the east coast of South Africa (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

Abstract

A new species of a dendrochirotid holothuroid, Thyone herberti, is described from the deep waters of Matigulu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The new species is distinct from other species of the genus in the form of its calcareous ring, in which the radial plates are prolonged posteriorly before bifurcating, and in the presence of non-rosette-like perforated rods and plates in the tentacles and the introvert. The new species increases to eight the number of southern African species currently classified in the genus Thyone.