The Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. 277 



LlNCKIA MULTIFORA. 



Asterias mnltifora Lamarck, 1816. Anim. s. Vert., vol. 2, p. 565. 



Linckia multiforis von Martens, 1866. Arch. f. Naturg., Jhrg. 32, Bd. 1, 



p. 65. See de Loriol, 1885. Mem. Soc. Phys. Hist. Nat. Geneve, 



vol. 29, pi. 9. 



This species is reported by Bell from Mozambique, and two young 

 individuals from the same place, taken by K. II. Marnard in Novem- 

 ber, 1912, lie before me. Some years ago (1908, Bull. M. C. Z. vol. 51, 

 p. 283) I expressed the opinion that mnltifora could only be considered 

 a variety of laeviyata. Since then I have collected and examined 

 hundreds of laevigata near the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and 

 I find its specific characters are very constant. I am inclined to 

 think therefore that mnltifora is probably entitled to rank as a valid 

 species, but its characters still need elucidation. 



* LINCKIA DIPLAX. 



OpMdiaster diplax Midler and Troschel, 1842. Syst. Ast., p. 30. 

 Linckia diplax Liitken, 1871. Vid. Med., p. 269. 



This species is reported by Bell from Mozambique. Its status is 

 dubious. It is very near the species so beautifully figured by de 

 Loriol (1885, Mem. Soc. Phys. Hist. Nat. Geneve, vol. 29, pi. 10) as 

 L. ehrenbergii M. T., while Ludwig ranks it only as a variety of 

 L. pacifica Gray. In my opinion, pacifica is identical with the West 

 Indian species, guildingii Gray; at any rate, I have not been able 

 as yet to find any tangible difference between them. The Indo-Pacific 

 Linckias are badly in need of a careful revision based upon fieldwork, 

 as the study of museum material alone proves very unsatisfactory. 



GANERIIDAE. 



The presence of this family in this report is due to a very young 

 sea-star which I am unable to refer to any known genus but 

 which seems to belong in the Ganeriidae. The specimen was sent 

 to Dr. W. K. Fisher for his examination and he writes: "My guess 



would be Cycethra or a close relative If the tube-feet have 



true disks, I think the Ganeriidae will be a safe assumption." The 

 tube-feet appear to have true sucking-disks, so I am listing the 

 family Ganeriidae in the present report. Most of the members of 

 the family occur in the vicinity of the Straits of Magellan and the 

 Falkland Islands. 



The important features of the youngster before me may be listed 



