The paracaudinid sea cucumbers of Australia and New Zealand (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Molpadida: Caudinidae) 
53 
Island, Tasman Bay, 41.17°S 173.17°E, 0 m, 24 Jan 1972, NIWA 
70956 (2). 
Diagnosis. Paracaudina species up to 150 mm total length, 
diameter up to 20 mm, caudal taper and long discrete tail 80 
mm long; posterior body with discrete long thin tail, up to more 
than half the length of the body; body firm thin leathery to 
parchment-like, finely wrinkled, variably transversely creased 
(preserved), live colour off-white with slight purple colouration 
(H. L. Clark 1938; Liao and A. M. Clark 1995), preserved 
colour pale grey to pink-grey; mid-body ossicles predominantly 
octagonal plates with large central perforation bridged by basal 
box with 4 supporting arms on one side and cross with 4 
supporting arms on the upper side, surface knobbed, margin 
with 8 bluntly pointed projections, plates up to 56 pm across. 
Type locality. Chile. 
Distribution. Circum-Pacific, including northwest Australia 
and New Zealand; to 1000 m (Pawson 1963). 
Remarks. Ludwig 1883, Theel 1886, Heding 1931, 1933, and 
Djakonov et al. 1958 judged the Chinese / Japanese species 
Paracaudina ransonnetii (Marenzeller, 1881) to be a discrete 
species. Type locality is Yantai (Cheefoo) on the Yellow Sea. H. 
L. Clark 1935, 1938, 1946 (based on northern Australia 
material) and A. M. Clark and Rowe 1971 considered the 
species to be a variety of Paracaudina chilensis (Muller, 1850). 
H. L. Clark 1908, Hozawa 1928, Ohshima 1929, Pawson and 
Liao 1992, Rowe and Gates 1995, and Liao and Clark A. M. 
1995 considered Paracaudina ransonnetii to be a junior 
synonym of Paracaudina chilensis. We agree with this 
synonymy. We judge that some north-western Australian 
material is Paracaudina chilensis, and that some north-eastern 
Australia material (from the Gulf of Carpentaria and Moreton 
Bay) is a new species Paracaudina keablei O’Loughlin and 
Barmos that we describe below. 
Below we raise the New Zealand species Paracaudina 
coriacea (Hutton, 1872) out of synonymy with the Chilean 
species Paracaudina chilensis (Muller, 1850). Theel 1886 was 
prompted to refer New Zealand specimens to Caudina 
ransonnetii Marenzeller, 1881 but finally referred them to 
Caudina coriacea (Hutton, 1872). But the ossicles illustrated by 
Theel 1886 are the predominant ossicle form found in 
Paracaudina chilensis. We examined two small New Zealand 
specimens (NIWA 70956) from the shallows of Tasman Bay 
and found the ossicles to be those of Paracaudina chilensis (fig. 
8). We dismissed our consideration that this ossicle form might 
be a juvenile developmental stage of Paracaudina coriacea on 
the grounds that Hozawa 1928 found no such significant 
development changes in his study of Paracaudina chilensis at 
Asamushi. Both Paracaudina chilensis (Muller) and 
Paracaudina coriacea (Hutton) occur in New Zealand waters. 
We note that the distal tail of the specimen of Paracaudina 
chilensis WAM Z5638 is not very thin (fig. lc), while the distal 
tails of the two specimens of Paracaudina coriacea NIWA 
70955 and AM J12290 are both very thin (figs Id, e). 
We also note that some, but not the predominant, ossicles 
from specimens judged to be Paracaudina chilensis from 
northwest Australia are similar to the ossicles illustrated for 
the single type specimen of Paracaudina delicata Pawson and 
Liao, 1992 taken in the Gulf of Tonkin. And some, but not the 
predominant, ossicles are similar to those in the new species 
Paracaudina keablei O’Loughlin and Barmos (below). 
Paracaudina coriacea (Hutton, 1872) 
Figures ld-f, 9, 10 
Molpadia coriacea Hutton, 1872: 17.—Hutton, 1879: 307.— 
Lampert, 1885: 208-209. 
Echinosoma (?) coriacea. —Hutton, 1879: 307. (synonymy with 
Caudina coriacea (Hutton) by Theel 1886) 
Caudina meridionalis Bell, 1883: 58-59, pi. 15 fig. 1.—Lampert, 
1885: 210-211. (synonymy with Caudina coriacea (Hutton) by Theel 
1886) 
Caudina coriacea — Theel, 1886: 54-55.—Dendy, 1897: 28-32, 
pi. 3 figs 9-18.—Dendy, 1898: 456-464, pi. 29,-Farquhar, 1898: 
324.—Ludwig, 1898: 63-64.-Dendy and Hindle, 1907: 95, 108-110, 
fig. B.—Mortensen, 1925: 364-366, figs 46b, 47b. (synonymy with 
Caudina chilensis (Muller) by H. L. Clark 1908) 
Caudina coriacea var. brevicauda R. Perrier, 1905: 121-123, fig. 
N. (synonymy with Caudina Coriacea by Dendy and Hindle 1907; 
with Paracaudina chilensis var. coriacea by H. L. Clark 1935) 
Caudina pulchella R. Perrier, 1905: 117-120, pi. 5 figs 14-17. 
(synonymy with Caudina coriacea by Dendy and Hindle 1907; with 
Paracaudina chilensis var. coriacea by H. L. Clark 1935) 
Caudina chilensis.— Benham, 1909: 110. (non Paracuadina 
chilensis (Muller, 1850)) 
Paracaudina chilensis var. coriacea.— H. L. Clark, 1935: 267- 
284. 
Paracaudina chilensis.— Pawson, 1963: 18-21, pi. 4.—Pawson, 
1965: 14.—Pawson, 1970: 49-50, pi. 2 fig. 2.-Pawson, 1977: 119 
(part).—Mah et al., 2009: 382, 398, fig. p. 383. (non Paracuadina 
chilensis (Muller, 1850)) 
Material examined. New Zealand, Cook Strait, 61 m, 26 May 1975, 
NIWA 70954 (1); Cook Strait, 18 m, 15 Dec 1983, NIWA 70955 (1); 
South Island, west coast, Arawhata River mouth, washed onto spit, 8 
Jul 1969, AM J12290 (3). 
Diagnosis. Paracaudina species up to 172 mm total length, up 
to 28 mm diameter, caudal taper and narrow tail 102 mm long 
(NIWA 70954); discrete thin tail, frequently longer than main 
body; body wall parchment-like, smooth to wrinkled, 
frequently with transverse creasing, preserved colour off-white 
with patches of yellowish-red (rusty) colouration in largest 
specimens; mid-body ossicles predominantly thick, button¬ 
like, octagonal, with central perforation bridged by a box 
basally and cross on the upper side, perforations small, margin 
predominantly rounded and lacking projecting knobs and 
bluntly pointed projections, surface variably knobbed or with 
short thick spines, ossicles typically 64 pm, up to 80 pm long. 
Distribution. New Zealand; 0-61 m. 
Remarks. In erecting the species Caudina meridionalis (junior 
synonym of P. coriacea ) for two specimens from New Zealand 
waters, Bell 1883 noted that in comparison with Caudina 
ransonnetii Marenzeller, 1881 (junior synonym of P. chilensis ) 
the ossicles were “stout”, the perforations “small”, and the 
marginal projections not as distinct. We agree that these are a 
significant diagnostic difference between the predominant 
