Dendrochirotida Grube, 1840

O’Loughlin, P. Mark, Mackenzie, Melanie, Paulay, Gustav & VandenSpiegel, Didier, 2014, Four new species and a new genus of Antarctic sea cucumbers with taxonomic reviews of Cladodactyla, Pseudocnus, Paracucumidae and Parathyonidium (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 72, pp. 31-61 : 33

Order Dendrochirotida Grube, 1840

Remarks. Smirnov (2012) established suborder Cucumariina for dendrochirotid families with the calcareous ring lacking segmented posterior prolongations. These included Cucumariidae Ludwig, 1894 , Paracucumidae Pawson and Fell, 1965 , and Thyonidiidae Heding and Panning, 1954 that was raised to family status by Smirnov (2012). No suborder was nominated for dendrochirotid families excluded from Cucumariina . These include Cladolabinae Heding and Panning, 1954 that was also raised to family status in Smirnov (2012). We do not nominate suborders of Dendrochirotida in this work.

Family Cladolabidae Heding and Panning, 1954 sensu Smirnov 2012

Diagnosis (after Smirnov 2012). Tentacles 15–20 arranged in 2 or 3 circles (10+5, 10+10, 10+5+5); tube feet arranged along radii or scattered over entire body; calcareous ring segments usually entire, high, not subdivided into pieces; radial plates with forked prolongations, medium length or short, usually entire or sometimes subdivided into a few very short pieces; sometimes short forked prolongations on inter-radial segments; ossicles tables with 2 pillars, disc with few perforations and sometimes reduced making tables rod-like, convex cross-like spined plates, and rosettes.

Remarks. Smirnov (2012) raised the subfamily Cladolabinae Heding and Panning, 1954 to family status, and offered his opinion that “quite possibly the family is polyphyletic”.