The New Zealand Cucumariidae (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea)

Sea cucumbers collected by the Kermadec Biodiscovery Expedition 2011 (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Apodida and Dendrochirotida)

“…As recorded by Rowe and Gates (1995), Plesiocolochirus ignavus (Ludwig, 1875) is found across southern Australia, and in our experience is one of the most abundant holothuroids. O'Loughlin & Alcock (2000) reported its occurrence in New Zealand in Hauraki Gulf (20 m) on the NE of the North Island, and in Dusky Sound (11-18 m). The Kermadec specimens are not the tropical species Plesiocolochirus australis (Ludwig, 1875) of northern Australia.…”

A review of the cucumariid genus Psolidiella Mortensen (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea)

“…Distally knobbed concave crosses are abundant in all southern Australian material, while cups are present but rare in the type species and abundant in south-eastern Australian material. Panning (1949: 426, as bollonsoni) referred the New Zealand species Cucumaria bollonsi Mortensen, 1925to Trachythyone Studer, 1876, and O'Loughlin and Alcock (2000 have established T. bollonsi as a junior synonym of Psolidiella nigra Mortensen, 1925. Panning (1971 noted a close relationship between Psolidiella and Trachythyone.…”

“…Panning (1971) finally included only the two species, P. nigra from New Zealand and P. adhaerens from Tasmania, in Psolidiella thus excluding P. mollis but not reassigning this species. O'Loughlin (1994) and O'Loughlin and Alcock (2000) anticipated a synonymy of Psolidiella adhaerens Hickman, 1962, from southeastern Australia, with Psolidiella nigra Mortensen, 1925, from New Zealand. This synonymy is confirmed here.…”