Cucumaria beringiana: A New Species of Holothurians (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 species differs from other species of the genus by the structure of spicules in the body wall, tentacles, introvert, and ambulacral legs. The spicules of the new species are similar to spicules of C. vegae, but unlike the latter species, the surface of the plates in C. beringiana is abundantly covered with large tubercles; the terminal lamina of the ambulacral pedicle is thicker; and there are tubercles on the surface and a much smaller number of holes. In addition, these species differ in body color: in C. beringiana, the dorsal and ventral sides are beige; in C. vegae, the dorsal side is dark brown and the ventral side is light gray. Spicules of C. beringiana also have similarities with some spicules of ambulacral legs of C. pusilla, but, unlike the latter, they are abundantly covered with large tubercles; the terminal lamina of the ambulacral legs is thicker with tubercles on the surface. In addition, C. beringiana differs from C. pusilla in the smaller size of two ventral tentacles compared to all others (8 + 2).