252 BULLETIN 82, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM VOLUME 1 



Violante; off Tripolitania, 17 miles east of the Gerba (Djerba) Islands; 50 meters; 

 September 7, 1879 [Tortonese, 1935, 1938] (Genoa M.). 



Tanche station 780; east of Gabes, Tunisia Gat. 3555' N., long. 1020' E.); 25 

 meters; May 1924. Tanche station 781, NE. of Gabes (lat. 3407' N., long. 1028' E.) ; 

 23 meters; May 25, 1924. Tanche station 768; North of Kuriat Island (lat. 3630'N., 

 long. 1117' -1114' E.) ; 110-115 meters; May 18, 1924. Tanche station 788, E. of La 

 Galite Island (lat. 3727'-3724' N., long. 938'-935' E.); 180 meters; June 3, 1924. 

 Tanche station 793; NW. of Tabarca (lat. 3706'-3708' N., long. 847'-842' E.) ; 

 190 meters; June 5, 1924 [Ranson, 1925]. Thor station 137, NE. of Zemba Island, 

 east side of the entrance to the Gulf of Tunis (lat. 3717' N., long. 1056' E.) ; 190 

 meters; July 19, 1910 (5, C.M.). Station Oceanographique Salammbo, April 30, 

 1955; 250 meters. Station 4; E. of Hergla (lat. 3602' N., long. 1045' E.); 70-90 

 meters; sand; August 4, 1955. Station 6; between Plane Island and Cape Zebib; 

 50 meters; sand; August 9, 1955. Station 7; W. of the Gulf of Tunis; 50 meters; August 

 9, 1955 [Cherbonnier, 1956]. Porcupine; Skerki (? Bane des Esquerquis) Bank; 55-220 

 meters [P. H. Carpenter, 1881, 1884]. Porcupine; Bay of Benzert (Bizerta); 91-183 

 meters and 91-220 meters [P. H. Carpenter, 1881, 1884; A. H. Clark, 1911]. Calypso 

 stations 513, 542, 545, and 549, between Sicily and Tunisia; 45-70 meters [Gautier- 

 Michaz, 1958]. 



[NOTE BY A.M.C.] It is possible that some or all of these Tunisian records may 

 be of A. bifida moroccana rather than of A. mediterranea; the two must approximate 

 in this area. 



Geographical range. From Cape St. Vincent, SW. Spain, eastward around the 

 whole Mediterranean except in the Adriatic and off Algeria and Morocco. 



Bathymetrical range.- From the shore line down to 420 meters. 



Occurrence. At Malaga, MacAndrew (1851) found this species abundant. 



At Valencia, Professor Aranda y Millan (1908) found it in the littoral region on 

 rocks covered with algae and on coralline bottoms, and in the coastal (deep littoral) 

 region on sandy bottoms. 



North of Cape San Sebastian, in the province of Gerona, Pruvot (1901) found the 

 bottom in 116 to 142 meters to be characterized by an extreme abundance of comatu- 

 lids, this species together with Leptometra phalangium, the former, however, markedly 

 predominant. 



About Banyuls the feather stars occur in the higher, middle and lower sections of 

 the littoral zone (Pruvot, 1897), in the first two on rocks covered with algae, in the 

 last on coralline bottom. They are also found in the sandy section of the coastal 

 region, as at Valencia. 



Pruvot (1895) has given a very detailed account of their occurrence here. They 

 are found in the third faunal zone, of coastal mud, and in the fourth zone in broad 

 sandy areas they are still very common locally, associated with at least an equal quan- 

 tity of Leptometra phalangium. 



The Roches Cannalots, near Banyuls, are remarkable for the extreme abundance 

 of echinoderms and pennatulids (Pruvot, 1895); in a single haul taken here in 90 me- 

 ters there were 1500 of this species and 170 of Leptometra phalangium. 



Lacaze-Duthiers (1891) found this species along the quay at Port Vendres, and 

 on the Frontignan jetty at Cette. Sabatier (1889) says that in the old port at Cette 



