Seventeen species of Eudendrium, including ten newly described (E. minutum, E. pennycuikae, E. nambuccense, E. terranovae, E. corrugatum, E. kirkpatricki, E. merulum, E. balei, E. aylingae, E. currumbense), are reported from Australia. All known Australian material of Eudendrium has been examined in this study and past misidentifications rectified. Five species: E. ramosum (Linnaeus, 1758); E. racemosum Cavolini, 1785; E. capillare Alder, 1856; E. carneum Clarke, 1882; and, E. glomeratum, Picard, 1951 are new records for Australia. Two tropical species, E. kirkpatricki n. sp. and E. infundibuliforme Kirkpatrick, 1890, are recorded from Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea. The former also ranges from the north of Western Australia to the Great Barrier Reef while the latter is now recorded from several places on the Great Barrier Reef. Eudendrium terranovae n. sp., formerly recorded from northern New Zealand as E. novaezelandiae Marktanner-Turneretscher, 1890, is now reported from southern Australia. Eudendrium pusillum, von Lendenfeld, 1885 is synonymised in E. generale von Lendenfeld, 1885 and the range of E. generale is now reduced to temperate south-eastern Australia. The importance of the cnidome in classification of the Eudendriidae is discussed and the genus Eudendrium is redefined by including features of the cnidome in the diagnosis. A key is given to the Australian species of Eudendrium. This paper extends knowledge of the distribution of the Eudendrium fauna around Australia. Most of the species are recorded from the eastern and south-eastern coastline; only four are known from Western Australia and none from the Northern Territory, Tasmania or the Great Australian Bight. Present records indicate a highly endemic Eudendrium fauna with species confined mainly to one or two marine biogeographic provinces. Only E. aylingae n. sp. is recorded from three provinces, ranging from cool temperate to tropical waters.Descriptors: EUDENDRIUM MINUTUM new species; EUDENDRIUM PENNYCUIKAE new species; EUDENDRIUM NAMBUCCENSE new species; EUDENDRIUM TERRANOVAE new species; EUDENDRIUM CORRUGATUM new species; EUDENDRIUM KIRKPATRICKI new species; EUDENDRIUM MERULUM new species; EUDENDRIUM BALEI new species; EUDENDRIUM AYLINGAE new species; EUDENDRIUM CURRUMBENSE new species; EUDENDRIUM RAMOSUM new record; EUDENDRIUM RACEMOSUM new record; EUDENDRIUM CAPILLARE new record; EUDENDRIUM CARNEUM new record; EUDENDRIUM GLOMERATUM new record; EUDENDRIUM INFUNDIBULIFORME; EUDENDRIUM NOVAEZELANDIAE; EUDENDRIUM PUSILLUMfigs 1-95, tab. 1. (xii.1985).
Ecology
Systematics, Taxonomy
Zoogeography, Biogeography (generalities), Geographic distribution
