Boone, Echinoidea, Cruise of "Alva," 1931 255 



Material examined: One large specimen, taken at Anaho 

 Bay, Nuka Hiva Island, Marquesas Islands, August 10, 1931, by 

 the "Alva." Another large specimen, taken on Muller's Reef, Bora- 

 Bora Island, Society Islands, August 24, 1931. 



Colour : Dr. H. L. Clark has given an exquisite colour plate 

 of this species (1921, pi. 17, fig. 6) . He reports that the colour of 

 this echinoid is striking and variable, the more usual form having 

 the test a dark, rich blue-purple, the spines white with the pedi- 

 cels also white but part black. In many of the specimens he ex- 

 amined at Torres Straits, the spines were tipped with orange, 

 frequently were entirely orange, some few had the spines entirely 

 white, as appears to be the case with the specimen from Marquesas 

 Islands and that from the Society Islands. 



Discussion : Loven's splendid account of this Linnaean spe- 

 cies (1887), and Agassiz's description and illustrations of it 

 (1872) , form the standard references for this well known urchin. 



The "Alva" specimens are both quite large, typical forms, in 

 excellent state of preservation. The one from Anaho Bay, Nuka 

 Hiva Island, apparently establishes the first record of this species 

 from the Marquesas, this specimen having a width diameter of 

 130 mm., an unusually large record. 



It is interesting to recall that the type of this species, which 

 came from the Indian Ocean, was once an item in the cabinet of 

 Queen Louisa Ulrica, a younger sister of Frederic of Prussia, who 

 married Adolphus Frederic of Holstein-Gottorp (1852) and with 

 him succeeded to the throne of Sweden. A great portion of her 

 collections of natural history specimens was obtained by purchase 

 from Holland and her cabinet was Linnaeus' source for much 

 of his work on Invertebrata, made possible by Her Majesty's 

 patronage. 



References: Echinus gratilla, Linne", Syst. Nat., 1758, ed. X, 



p. 664. 

 Tripneustes gratilla, LovEN, S., Bihang K. Svensk. Vet. Akad. 



Handl., Bd. XIII, afd. 4, no. 5, 1887, p. 77 (with exhaustive 

 notes on the Linnean type and early history of the species; also 

 extensive literature references). 

 Hipponoe variegata, Agassiz, A., Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., Rev. 



Ech., pt. I, 1872, p. 135; M. C. Z. VII, pt. Ill, 1873, p. 501, 



pi. 4B, figs. 5-6; pi. 25, figs. 6-7 (synonymy and description, 



illustrations) . 



