The Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. 419 



P.F. 18929. Southeast from Cape Agulhas, 3640'S. X 21 26'E., 

 200 fms. Gn. s. 2 specimens; younii .' 



Holotype, South African Museum, No. A 6454. 



These little holothurians are quite unlike any I have ever seen but 

 they approach several of the previously known species of Psolus. 

 They are perhaps nearest to the Antarctic P. charcoti Koehler and 

 Vaney, but the sole is more distinct and the calcareous plates it 

 contains are perfectly distinctive. In life this species must look very 

 much like the figure of P. boholensis given by Semper (1868, Holo- 

 thurien, Heft II, pi. XII, fig. 3), although the sole is not quite so 

 distinct and the color is brighter. Why Semper should say (p. 6) 

 that boholensis is "von ausgesprochensten ascidienartigen Habitus" is 

 impossible to see from his figure, which is not in the slightest degree 

 ascidian-like ! 



PSOLUS SQUAMATUS. 



Holothuria squamata 0. F. Miiller, 1776. Prod. Zool. Dan., p. 232. 

 Psolus squamatus M'Andrew and Barrett, 1857. Ann. Mag. Nat. 



Hist. (2) vol. 20, p. 45. 



There are five small specimens of a Psolus at hand which I am 

 unable to distinguish from squamatus and I therefore refer them to 

 that northern species. But the specimens are too young for satis- 

 factory determination. It is important however to emphasize what 

 has been well said by both Ludwig and Thee! that the proper 

 descrimination between the northern and southern species of Psolus 

 must await the accumulation of far more abundant material from a 

 considerable number of localities. Owing to a suggestion of Liit- 

 ken's that 0. F. Midler's Holothuria squamata is the young of Psolus 

 phantapus, the specific name of this holothurian is usually dated 

 from Diiben and Koren. Those authors however refer to Midler's 

 name and I do not see how any one could question that the Danish 

 author's name refers to either the present species or the form sub- 

 sequently separated from it as P. fabricii. It seems highly impro- 

 bable to me that Miiller's figures represent the young of P. jjhantapus. 



P.F. 14310. Cape Seal, N. by E. 3 / 4 E., 37 miles, 80 fms. (Agul- 

 has Bank). S., sh., r. 20/2/02. 4 specimens; young. 



P.F. 18929. Southeast of Cape Agulhas, 36 40' S. x 2126 / E., 

 200 fms. Gn. s. 1 specimen; young; dry. 



