236 Annals of the South African Museum. 



Of these 74, 35 are truly littoral occurring in water less than 

 twenty fathoms deep, while 9 are strictly abyssal, occurring only 

 in depths beyond 600 fms. The remaining 30 species may be classed 

 as continental. 



Of the 35 littoral species, 13 are endemic so far as our present 

 knowledge goes ; as 10 of these have been known for a considerable 

 time and have not yet been reported from elsewhere, it is probable 

 that they are truly characteristic forms. Of the remaining 22, 18 are 

 East Indian or Indian Ocean species, of which 15 were previosuly 

 known from the east coast of Africa, north of Mozambique. There 

 are two littoral species (Asterina calcarata, Henricia ornata) which 

 occur on the shores of the southern end of South America, but both 

 these cases require further investigation; each belongs in a genus 

 in which specific limits are ill-defined. There are also two littoral 

 species known from the coasts of southern Australasia; one of these 

 (Coscinasterias calamaria) is a well-defined species and its occurrence 

 at Mauritius lias long been known ; it is unquestionably a valid link 

 between the littoral faunas of Australasia and Africa; the other 

 species however is the dubious Henricia ornata, a name under which 

 several species are perhaps involved. Of the two remaining South 

 African littoral species, one is the rare and little known Culcita 

 veneris, originally from St. Pauls Island, southern Indian Ocean, and 

 since recorded by Bell only, from Cape Colony; the other is the 

 northern starfish, Marthasterias glatialis, whose occurrence at the 

 Cape no longer admits of doubt. It is of importance to note that 

 12 of the littoral seastars here listed as South African, are not 

 known from south of Mozambique and there are two or three others 

 whose occurrence south of that point is known from only a single 

 record. 



Of the 30 Continental species, 20 appear to be endemic, but 12 

 of these are here described as new and may later be found elsewhere. 

 Nevertheless the Continental fauna is very characteristic for in 

 addition to the endemic forms, three are known only from the 

 Kerguelen region. There are three species hitherto known from the 

 Atlantic, two from the East Indian region and one from Australia. 

 The thirtieth, one of the most remarkable members of the Conti- 

 nental fauna is Ceramasler patagonicus, which occurs not only in 

 South American waters but along the Pacific coast of North America 

 to the region of the Commander Islands in Bering Sea. One of the 

 Atlantic members of this fauna (Diplopter aster multipes) has an equally 

 remarkable range, as it occurs in the North Atlantic from about 

 35 North to Barents Sea and Norway and in the North Pacific 



