BY H. FARQUHAR. 301 



appears to be closely allied to 0. afbomaculata, Smith, from the 

 Galapagos Islands. Only one genus is endemic with but one 

 species, Ophiopteris antipodum, a very distinct and peculiar form. 

 A remarkable feature of our Ophiuroid fauna is the absence of 

 the large and widely diffused genus Ophiothrix, which is well 

 represented in the seas of Australia and other southern lands; 

 when our littoral* comes to be thoroughly explored, however, 

 species of this genus will probably be discovered here. Only one 

 Astrophyton is at present known to occur in New Zealand seas. 

 A single example of an undescribed species of Ophioceras is in the 

 Colonial Museum at Wellington, which was found by the late 

 Prof. Kirk at Jackson Bay. 



Twenty-eight Asteroids have been recoi^ded as from New 

 Zealand. These are almost equally divided between the two 

 orders of recent Astei-oids, thirteen being Phanerozonate and fifteen 

 Cryptozonate. The occurrence of two species in our seas appears 

 .to be doubtful, that of Choriaster gramdatus being based upon 

 an example in the Vienna Museum labelled as from New Zealand 

 ("Challenger" Rpt. Vol. xxx. p. 354), and the occurrence of 

 Nepanlhia maculata here rests upon the doubtful identification 

 of a specimen from Wellington (Trans. N.Z. Inst. Vol. xi. p. 306). 

 Of the remaining twenty-six species two are deep-water forms 

 dredged up by the " Challenger," and one of these, PsilasUr 

 acumiiiatus, ranges to Australia and South Africa. Of the 

 littoral forms, omitting doubtful species, sixteen are endemic, 

 seven are found in Australia or Tasmania, four of which are 

 noted for their great geographical range, and one species, Cribr-e/la 

 ornata, extends to the Cape of Good Hope, but not to Australia. 



Of the twenty-three Echinoids which have been found here, 

 only one (Goniocidaris umhraculum) is peculiar to New Zealand, 

 and this form needs re-examination when fresh material is avail- 

 able. Three are " Challenger " species from deep water, two of 



* I use the term "littoral " not as restricted by Forbes, but in its widest 

 sense, inchuliug the whole of the area between high-water mark and the 

 100-fathoni line — "the continental shelf." 



