52 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



from the Chilian. The latter furnishes all of the Echinoderms found 

 south of Aguja Point, 6° S. lat., while the Panamic fauna is practically 

 confined to the shores north of that point. In spite of its low latitude, 

 the coast of Peru south of Aguja Point is far from tropical, and the 

 marine life is distinctly that of temperate seas, owing to the great 

 Humboldt or Peruvian current, which brings the cold waters of the 

 Antarctic region down nearly to the Equator. 



Seasonal Retrogression of Ovaries in Starfish.* — Ch. Perez has 

 observed the autumnal retrogression of ovaries in Asteracanthion rubens. 

 The large ova show degenerative changes in the cytoplasm and in the 

 nucleus. Small cells accumulate in the cavity, and many of these, 

 laden with minute granules, appear to be dispersed by the perigenital 

 lacunas. No very active phagocytosis was observed, but some of the 

 inclusions of the small cells indicate that this process is going on. 



Species of Cucumaria.f — C. L. Edwards corrects the statement that 

 Cucumariafrondosa (Gunner; occurs off the north Pacific coast of North 

 America. There are, however, four closely allied species — in the same 

 "species-cycle" — viz. C . calif ornica Semper, C.japonica Semper, C.fallax 

 Ludwig, and C. miniata Brandt. 



fCcelentera. 



Deep-sea Hydroids of Indian Museum. $ — James Ritchie reports on 

 a collection which indicates for the first time the aspect of the Hydroid 

 fauna of the deeper Indian Ocean waters. A Sertularian (Idia pristis) 

 and an epizoic Campanularian (Campanularia corrugata) share the 

 honour of having been dredged at the greatest depth, 1343 fathoms, 

 and it is noteworthy that both have been previously recognized in 

 shallow water. This range recalls that of SertulareUa tricuspidata, 

 which occurs from almost the shore to 1375 fathoms. 



The collection increases the recognized Hydroid fauna of Indian seas 

 by eleven species, and that of Malaysia by two. Four species are new. The 

 deep-sea Indian Hydroid fauna seems to agree more markedly with that 

 of the South Pacific than with that of any other region. 



The author proposes to re-introduce the Hincksian names " sarco- 

 theca " and " 6arcostyle " to differentiate the chitinous protection of the 

 " nematophore " from its fleshy content. He describes in Aglaophenia 

 septata Ritchie a peculiar and distinctive gonosome — a modified type of 

 corbula, in which the protective leaflets, which are arranged in two tiers, 

 bristle outwards from the body of the gonosome, while the gonangia are 

 covered in and protected by delicate plates of chitin. 



New Genus of Hydroids. § — Hjalmar Broch establishes a new genus 

 Bonneviella for Lafom gigantea Bonnevie ( = Campanularis grandis 

 Allman). Indeed, a new family is proposed, because of the remarkable 

 " veloid," which forms a pre-oral cavity. The hydrotheca is bell-shaped, 



* P.V. Soc. Sci. Bordeaux, 1909, p. 19. 



t Zool. Jahrb., xxix. (1910) pp. 597-612 (1 pi.). 



X Records Indian Museum, v. (1910) pp. 1-30 (1 pi.). 



§ Nyt Magazin Naturvid. Kristiania, xlvii. (1909) pp. 195-205 (6 figs.). 



