Pentagone crozeti, a new species of elasipodid holothurian from abyssal depths off the Crozet Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean

Abstract

Material collected from the RRS Discovery Cruise 300 to the Crozet Islands contained a new species of elasipodid holothurian Pentagone crozeti sp. nov. This new species dominated the megafauna at an abyssal site to the east of the islands under an area of high surface productivity, but was found in low abundance at a site located south of the islands under a high nutrient low chlorophyll regime, typical for many areas in the Southern Ocean. Pentagone crozeti differs from other members of the genus by the shape of its calcareous deposits. Copyright © 2009 · Magnolia Press.