Psolus parantarcticus Mackenzie and Whitfield, 2011

Davey, Nicola, 2013, The Psolidae of New Zealand and some additions to the Macquarie Ridge fauna (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Psolidae), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 70, pp. 51-67 : 55

Psolus parantarcticus Mackenzie and Whitfield, 2011

Table 1, Figure 1

Material examined. New Zealand, Hikurangi Margin: NIWA 68125 (1) Stn TAN0616/83, 41.78°S 175.39°E, 1053– 1050 m, 13/11/2006 ; NIWA 68128 (1) Stn TAN0616/79, 41.78°S 175.39°E, 1040–1053 m, 13/11/2006. Macquarie Ridge, NIWA 76249 (1) Stn C733, 54.41°S 159.03°E, 104 m, 25/11/1961.

Description. See Mackenzie and Whitfield (2011). All specimens examined concur with this description unless discussed below.

Colour. Preserved: white ( Mackenzie and Whitfield, 2011), although in present material dorsal and lateral scales have some pale brown markings.

Distribution. Australia, Macquarie Island, 108–135 m ( Mackenzie and Whitfield, 2011). New Zealand and Macquarie Ridge, 1052 m (this study).

Remarks. Psolus parantarcticus Mackenzie and Whitfield 2011 was first described from Macquarie Island. We subsequently found two more specimens of this species in our New Zealand and Macquarie Ridge material. The encroaching valves, ventral bowl-shaped ossicles, and multilayered dorsolateral ossicles are distinctive morphological features that clearly differentiate this species from P. antarcticus . This study significantly extends the known depth range for P. parantarcticus from 135 to 1052 m.