The Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. '237 



from San Diego, California, and Suruga Gulf, Japan, to Bering Sea. 



Of the 9 abyssal species occurring in the present list, only 3 are 

 endemic, while 5 are already known from the deep waters of the 

 Atlantic and one is Antarctic. The endemic species are all new to 

 science. It is of interest to note that none of the abyssal species 

 seems to have come from the east, whereas the littoral fauna has 

 nearly all come from the Indian Ocean. 



In conclusion then, we may say that so far as our present know- 

 ledge goes the sea-star fauna of South Africa is highly characteristic. 

 Nearly half (36) of the species are endemic and several others occur 

 only in the region of Kerguelen or St. Pauls Island. Of the non- 

 endemic forms, 20 are from the Indo-Pacilic region and 10 from the 

 Atlantic, while the remainder are Australian or South American. 

 The affinities of the littoral fauna are distinctly Indo-Pacific, but if 

 the tropical species, not known from south of Mozambique, are left 

 out of account, it is evident that most of the littoral starfishes of 

 South Africa have become specifically differentiated. On the other 

 hand the continental and abyssal faunas, while perhaps equally well 

 differentiated and as characteristic, have slight East Indian but 

 rather strong Atlantic affinities. The impression made by the study 

 of the South African sea-stars is that the shallow-water forms are 

 of Indian origin and the deeper-water forms are from the Atlantic. 



There is very little evidence of an Australian or South American 

 influence in the composition of the fauna. It is true that Coscinas- 

 terias calamana is a characteristic Australian species, but it seems 

 to be very rare in South African waters. As already stated no reli- 

 ance can be placed on evidence offered by such forms as Henricia 

 ornata and Asterina calcarata. The occurrence of the characteristically 

 Antarctic genus Cry aster in Algoa Bay is worthy of more than pas- 

 sing notice, since the entire family is otherwise unknown outside of 

 the Antarctic region. 



The 74 species included in this report belong to no fewer than 

 16 families. They can be most easily recognized if these families 

 are first differentiated from each other. Under each family will be 

 found the necessary key to the species included in it, which occur 

 in South African waters. 



Key to the South African Families of Asteroidea. 



Marginal plates large, defining the contour of the body; abactinal skeleton never 

 reticulate or imbricated but made up of plates, which often bear paxillae or 

 granule-bearing tabulae. 



16 



