Adults of the New Zealand Jaxea have been elusive. The first significant record was of a large ovigerous female taken alive in a deep dredge haul from soft muddy ground at 11 fathoms in Wellington Harbour (New Zealand Oceanographic Institute, NZOI Stn. A355, 23 July 1957). This survived in an aquarium for several days, but died without any of the eggs hatching. The second record was also obtained by the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute when an associated pair was taken alive in an orange peel grab from about 8 fathoms in Port Underwood, Marlborough, on the south-western side of Cook Strait (NZOI Stn. C228, 15 September 1959). These also survived for several days but did not attempt to burrow or to take food while under observation in an aquarium.

During 1964-65, R.G.W. was able to obtain live adult specimens at night using a small otter trawl in about 2 to 10 fathoms in Evans Bay, Wellington Harbour. Specimens were taken in July, August and November, 1964, and during 1965. page 5 They were trawled from a bottom of soft putrid mud, apparently living in association with the stomatopod Squilla armata (H. Milne Edwards) and an abundant spatangoid urchin, Echinocardium cordatum (Pennant). Specimens of Jaxea taken by this method were kept alive for up to 11 days in the Victoria University Marine Laboratory at Island Bay, Wellington. None appeared to take food or to burrow successfully during these periods.

Adult Jaxea are now known in New Zealand waters from Hawke Bay on the east coast of the North Island in the north, to the Marlborough coast of Cook Strait in the south. All records have been from protected inshore waters in depths ranging from about 2 to 12 fathoms on muddy or sandy bottoms.

Fragments of unknown reptants taken from fish stomach contents in the Wellington Harbour and Cook Strait areas during the period 1954-59 can now be identified as the New Zealand Jaxea. These records, coupled with the abundance of trachelifer larvae of Jaxea in the Wellington plankton (Wear, 1965), give an indication of the true status of this species in the Wellington area where substrate conditions appear to suit the apparently restricted habitat preference of J. novaezealandiae.

Larvae attributed to the New Zealand Jaxea were first taken from the Bay of Islands, northern New Zealand, by the British Antarctic "Terra Nova" Expedition in 1910 (Gurney, 1924). Larvae have also been examined (R.G.W.) from the Hauraki Gulf and Auckland Harbour, Wellington Harbour, off Kaikoura and off Banks Peninsula (east coast of the South Island). From this it would appear that the species may be widespread in the New Zealand area on suitable ground and at suitable depths.