124 SYNAPTIDAE. 



quately indicated, and hence in only a few cases has it been possible to deter- 

 mine from what specimen the colored figure was drawn. Each of the drawings, 

 however, has the date and the number of the station at which the specimen was 

 taken and it has therefore been possible in most cases by a process of elimina- 

 tion to find the probable originals. But doubts remain, and in two instances 

 there seem to be no originals preserved. One of these figures having little that 

 is distinctive is accordingly omitted from the published plates but the other 

 is of such an unusual color (Plate 3, fig. 5), its publication seems desirable, 

 especially since there is little doubt as to the genus. 



SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT. 



Synaptidae. 



Synapta maculata. 



Holothuria maculata Chamisso & Eysenhardt, 1821. De anim. Kotzebue obs., p. 352. 

 Synapta maculata Jager, 1833. De Holothuriis, p. 15. 



This species was met with by the Albatross twice on her earlier voyage. 

 At Papeete, September 28, 1899, a good example of the typical form was secured 

 and at Makemo, in the Paumotus, October 21 of the same year, two hand- 

 somely marked specimens of the variety agassizii (S. agassizii Selenka) were 

 taken. These specimens are very conspicuously striped, five nearly white 

 bands alternating with five more or less mottled brown ones of about the same 

 width. Sufficient knowledge of this variety in life, and of the species as well, 

 is as yet lacking, so that the true relation between them is unknown. 



Protankyra abyssicola. 



Synapta abyssicola Theel, 1886. Challenger Hoi., pt. 2, p. 14. 



Protankyra abyssicola Ostergren, 1898. Ofv. K. Vet. Akad. Forh., 65, no. 2, p. 117. 



At two stations, this species was met with in 1904. Many of the specimens 

 are of such size as to show that the species reaches a length of 150 mm. or more 

 in life, with a corresponding diameter of at least 10 mm. In most of the speci- 

 mens, the color is yellowish without red pigment but one is somewhat reddish. 

 All have the full-sized anchors with distinct teeth on the arms, so that these 

 specimens are certainly not P. paciftca. The appearance of the anchors, the 

 developmental stages of which have perfectly smooth arms, leads one to question 

 whether pacifica is really a valid form. 



Station 4651. West of Peru, 5° 41' 42" S., 82° 59' 42" W., 2,222 fms. Bott. temp. 35.4°. Stky. fne. 

 gy. s., trace of shore-mud. 



