New and little-known species of Didemnidae (Ascidiacea, Tunicata) from Australia (Part 3) Author Kott, Patricia text Journal of Natural History 2005 2005-06-30 39 26 2409 2479 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930500087077 journal article 10.1080/00222930500087077 1464-5262 5215680 Leptoclinum patulum Herdman 1899 , p 448 . Didemnum patulum : Kott 2001 , p 219 and synonymy; 2004a, p 756. Distribution Previously recorded (see Kott 2001 , 2004a ): Tasmania (Triabunna); Victoria (Bass Strait, Western Port, Cape Woolamai); New South Wales (Port Jackson). New record: New South Wales (Jervis Bay, QM G301591). Description The newly recorded, slightly translucent, fleshy colony is encrusting a worm tube. Spicules are present in moderate concentrations in the upper part of the colony and are never crowded. They become sparse toward the base of the colony beneath the shallow, thoracic, common cloacal canals. The spicules are stellate, to 0.05 mm diameter and have 9–11 conical pointed rays in optical transverse section. Remarks Despite the general similarity of the spicules to those of D. patulum , they are smaller than has been previously recorded for this species; and this, with the absence of the characteristic circular surface depressions over the common cloacal canals, raises doubts about the species’ identity. It is only questionably assigned to D. patulum .