Atelostomatid sea urchins from Australian and New Zealand waters (Echinoidea : Cassiduloida, Holasteroida, Spatangoida, Neoplampadoida)

Abstract

The systematics and distribution of 28 species (17 genera) of atelostomatid echinoids from the seas around Australia and New Zealand are discussed. Eighteen species are new to the region. A new genus, Acanthotrema, Family Asterostomidae, is described, and new species are assigned to the genera Gymnopatagus, Eupatagus, Metalia, Spatagobrissus and Heterobrissus (2). Three species of Spatangus, S. pallidus H. L. Clark, S. thor Fell and S. beryl Fell, are synonymised with S. Iutkeni A. Agassiz. Paramaretia multituberculata Mortensen is synonymised with P. peloria H. L. Clark. A checklist of Australasian atelostomatid echinoids, giving a distributional summary, is provided.