Psolidium hutchingsae O'Loughlin & Ahearn 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: O'Loughlin, P. Mark
name: Ahearn, Cynthia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Echinodermata
Holothuroidea
Dendrochirotida
Psolidae
Psolidium
Psolidium hutchingsae

description: Psolidium hutchingsae sp. nov.
Table 1, Figures 2c–d, 5d–f
Material examined. Holotype: N New South Wales, 50 m west of Split Solitary I, 30°14'S 153°10'48"E, Herdmania momus, rocks, sponges, ascidians, 15 m, P. A. Hutchings and L. C. Rose, 7 Mar 1992, stn NSW 677, AM J24107. Paratype: Type location and date, J24108 (1).
Other material. Coffs Harbour, SE Islet, 30°19'S 153°09'E, 12 m, A. Hoggett and D. Johnson, 22 Jan 1982, J15469 (1); Port Stephens, 32°37'S 152°04'E, surface of ascidian, S. Smith, 1985, J19665 (1).
Description. Psolidium species up to 18 mm long (preserved); dorsal and lateral body scales thick, up to 2.2 mm wide, body surface uneven; oral and anal scales tapering to narrow rounded end distally.
Sole with peripheral irregular band of tube feet, about 4–5 wide, lacking discrete outer series of smaller tube feet; mid-ventral radial series of tube feet, about 2 wide.
Dorsal and lateral ossicles: multi-layered ossicles (scales) thick, up to 4 tube foot canals; buttons perforated, irregularly oval, thick, smallest 80 μ m long with 3 perforations, intergrade with thickened and knobbed perforated plates and with multi-layered ossicles; crosses abundant, deeply cupped, arms bifurcate, arms distally finely spinous, cupped crosses 56–88 μ m long; rosettes rare, up to 32 μ m long.
Sole ossicles: knobbed to thickened perforated plates, marginal and surface knobs, variable shape from flat crosses to irregular plates with up to 12 perforations, up to 160 μ m long; shallow concave crosses rare, arms bifurcate, arms bluntly spinous to finely knobbed distally, up to 72 μ m long; shallow cups rare, knobs to short digitiform spinelets on rim, cups up to 96 μ m long.
Tentacle ossicles include irregular, thick, perforated, plates, up to 320 μ m long; abundant rosettes, densely branched, up to 80 μ m long.
Colour. Preserved. Dorsally and laterally pale to dark grey-brown, some specimens with dark brown patches or spotting; sole off-white; tentacle trunks brown, dendritic branches off-white; introvert off-white.
Distribution. Northern New South Wales, Split Solitary I, Coffs Harbour and Port Stephens; rock, sponge, ascidians; 12– 15 m.
Etymology. Named for Dr Pat Hutchings (Senior Principal Research Scientist, Australian Museum), with appreciation of her contribution to Australian marine invertebrate research and in particular for the collection and documentation of specimens described in this work.
Remarks. The distinguishing characteristics of Psolidium hutchingsae sp. nov. are the presence dorsally of abundant deeply cupped crosses with bifurcate arms that are distally finely spinous, and large rosettes and irregular plates in the tentacles.
description: Published as part of O'Loughlin, P. Mark & Ahearn, Cynthia, 2008, Australian species of Psolidium Ludwig (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Psolidae), pp. 1-22 in Memoirs of Museum Victoria 65 on page 14, DOI: 10.24199/j.mmv.2008.65.2, http://zenodo.org/record/8065020