The EcJiinoderm Fauna of SoutJi Africa. 411 



is a densely crowded layer of very numerous knobbed buttons while 

 the outer is a single layer of rather crowded reticulate "baskets" or 

 cups. The buttons are quite uniform in si/.e and shape, -07 -OS mm. 

 long and about two-thirds as wide; each button is perforated by 

 four holes and carries, on each surface, two central and ten marginal 

 knobs; on some buttons there are a few more knobs, or the knobs 

 may be swollen and more or less fused but there is no marked 

 tendency to form larger knobbed plates or spheres. The "baskets" 

 are very characteristic for while they show some diversity in si/.e 

 and considerable diversity of form, scarcely two being exactly alike, 

 they are mostly about '03 mm. long, not quite so wide and about 

 one-half to two-thirds as deep; the rims are slender and with either 

 no knobs or a few low, small ones, while the dichotomous rod forming 

 the floor of the basket is somewhat flattened, perfectly smooth and 

 rather stout. They are thus much like those of Cucumaria punctata 

 (see Ludwig, 1875, Arb. /ool. lust. Wurzburg, vol. 2, pi. VI, fig. 8) 

 but the rims are much more slender and lack the prominent spine- 

 lets. Pedicels well supplied with broad curved supporting rods, 

 having perforations at each end. Terminal plates seem to be whollv 

 wanting. 



Mossel Bay, Cape Colony. X specimens; adult. "Colour red". 



Holotype, South African Museum No. A 6453. 



This species belongs very evidently, to judge from its form and 

 general appearance, in the same group with C. discolor, insolens and 

 capensis but it is easily distinguished from any of these by the cal- 

 careous baskets of the outer layer of skin. Although in these baskets, 

 there is some resemblance to C. punctata, in no other respect does 

 spyridophora resemble that West Indian species. 



CUCUMARIA INSOLENS. 



Theel, 1886. CHALLENGKU Holoth.. p. 70: pi. IV, fig. 5. 

 Cucumaria leonina var. africana Britten. I'.HO. Schultze's Zool. Anthrop. 



Erg. Forsch. Siidafrika. vol. 4. |.t. 1. p. 240. 



It is rather curious that Britten does not refer to insolens in his 

 discussion of his supposed new CucuHiaria from Angra Pequena May. 

 However there are in the M. C. Z. collection several cotypes of his 

 variety and they are unquestionably identical with the material be- 

 fore me from Cape Colony. The specimens at hand show much 

 diversity in size, colour and form but agree well in the distribution 

 of the pedicels and in the calcareous parts. Those from Saldanha 

 Bay are 12 23 mm. long, very dark brown above, much lighter 



