GULF OF MEXICO 



407 



2. Large species, up to 100 cm. long, with plume-like tentacles; reef dweller. 1. Euapta Oestergren. 



Eiiapta lappa (J. MUller), p. 407 



2. Small species, 10 cm. or loss; tentacles with few digits. Lives in seaweed or burrows in sand or mud 3 



3. No teeth on flukes; anchor plates with large central holes surrounded by six large holes, all dentate; complete transverse 



bridge. 2. Synaptula Oersted Synaplula hydriformis (LeSueur), p. 407 



3. A few teeth on flukes; anchor plates elongate, with large central holes, surrounded by six holes, more or less well equipped 



with teeth; incomplete transversal bridge. 3. Leptosynapta Verrill 4 



Large anchors, 0.3 to 0.5 mm. long; miliary grains as C-shapcd bodies, numerous everywhere 



1. Leptosynapta multigranula H. L. Clark, p. 407 



Small anchors, 0.2 mm. long or less; miliary grains not numerous, often in groups of three to five, developed as delicate 



curved rods with expanded or branching tips 2. Leptosynapta crassipatina H. L. Clark, p. 407 



4. 



Genus 1 EUAPTA Oestergren, 1898 

 1 Euapta lappa (J. M iiller) 



Synapla lappa J. Muller, 1850, p. 134. 

 Euapta lappa H. L. Clark, 1907, p. 73, pi. 4, figs. 23-25; 

 Deichmann, 1930, p. 205. 



Diagnosis. — Up to 100 cm. long, silvery gray, 

 sometimes longitudinally striped. Stock of an- 

 chor branched or deeply cleft; verte.x with minute 

 knobs ; anchor plates with distinct bridge. Type : 

 Possibly in Germany. Type locality: "West 

 India." Distribution: Widespread in the West 

 Indies but not known from Bermuda. It is 

 reported from the waters around Tortugas and 

 may therefore be expected in Yucatan and along 

 the north coast of Cuba. Theel lists it from 

 Tenerife but that may be a case of erroneous 

 labeling. 



According to W. K. Fisher the animal is quite 

 active, crawling around among coral rocks or on 

 sand and to a limited extent able to swim (Deich- 

 mann, 1926, p. 27). 



The species differ very little from the Indo- 

 Pacific form, E. godeffroy (Semper). The latter is 

 supposed to have the base of the digits of the 

 tentacles united by a web, while the anchors often 

 are deformed. Possibly a study of large series of 

 spicules may show definite size differences. 



Genus 2 SYNAPTULA Oersted, 1849 

 Synaptula hydriformis (LeSueur) 



Holothuria hydriformis LeSueur, 1823, p. 162. 

 Synaptula hydriformis H. L. Clark, 1907, pp. 23, 82, 

 pi. 6; Deichmann, 1930, p. 206. 



Diagnosis. — Few cm. long, at utmost 10 cm. in 

 life when expanded. Tentacles 10 to 15, with 5 

 digits on each side. Stock of anchors finely 

 toothed; arms smooth, vertex with few knobs. 

 Anchor plates with large central hole, surrounded 

 by six large holes all more or less dentate; two 

 large smooth holes at the posterior end and a 

 distinct arched bridge across these holes. Miliary 



granules distributed in patches, visible with the 

 naked eye. Viviparous; lives among algae. 

 Type: Undoubtedly lost. Distribution: Com- 

 mon from Brazil to Bermuda, also around Tor- 

 tugas and the southern Florida coast. 



Two color phases exist, a brown and a green; 

 the former is found among red or brown algae, 

 the latter among green ones. Its life history has 

 been worked out by H. L. Clark (1898) who found 

 up to 179 young individuals escaping from a 

 single female. 



Genus 3 LEPTOSYNAPTA Verrill, 1867 

 1 Leptosynapta multigranula H. L. Clark 



Leptosynapta multigranula H. L. Clark, 1924, p. 486, 

 pi. 8, figs. 3-7; Deichmann, 1938, p. 135. 



Leptosynapta multigranulata Deichmann, 1930, p. 207 

 (typographical error). 



Diagnosis. — Up to 7.5 cm. in length in pre- 

 served condition. Tentacles 12, with 5 to 6 

 pairs of lateral digits, 2 to 9 sensory cups on the 

 oral side of each tentacle. Spicules large anchors, 

 0.19 to 0.45 mm. long; anchor plates 0.2 to 0.29 

 mm. long. Miliary grains as C-shaped or ring- 

 shaped bodies, scattered every^vhere. Type: 

 Museum of Comparative Zoology. Type locality : 

 Tortugas, in sandy mud. Distribution: So far 

 known only from Tortugas and Biscayne Bay. 



The species seems to live in eelgrass covered 

 flats and may very well have a much wider 

 distribution than the present few records show. 



2 Leptosynapta crassipatina H. L. Clark 



Leptosynapta crassipatina H. L. Clark, 1924, p. 47, pi. 

 6, figs. 1-4; Deichmann, 1930, p. 208. 



Diagnosis. — Few cm. long (types, 4 cm.) with 

 12 tentacles with 4 to 5 pairs of digits and 4 to 

 10 large sensory cups on the oral side of the 

 tentacles. Spicules small anchors, 0.117 to 

 0.183 mm. long, with 3 to 7 teeth on each arm; 

 anchor plates 0.11 to 0.14 mm. long. Miliary 

 grains scarce, often in groups of 3 to 5, as delicate 



