68 HAWAIIAN AND OTHER PACIFIC ECHINI. 



Agassiz (1872, Rev. Ech., p. 108, 316, 317) supposed that it was such a specimen 

 on which MicheUn founded his species asiaticus. Consequently Mr. Agassiz 

 con.sidered asiaticus a synonym of parma whereas it is really quite a different 

 species. There are in the M. C. Z. collection specimens of parma from off the 

 eastern United States which are a trifle higher than the lowest obcsa from Kamt- 

 chatka and are not otherwise certainly distinguishable, so that obesa is clearly 

 not a valid species or even a subspecies, but may conveniently be recognized as 

 a variety. The pedicellariae are not distinguishable from those of typical parma. 

 The bidentate have valves (PI. 125, fig. cS') .30-.40 nmi. long, entirely lacking 

 apophyses and with the tip somewhat serrate, under high power. The biphyllous 

 (PI. 125, fig. 7) have valves only about .04 mm. long, and somewhat hood- 

 shaped. No ophicephalous pedicellariae were found. 



The Albatross brought back obcsa from the following points : — 



Station 4283. Off Tuliumnit Point, Chignik Bay, Alaska. 30-41 fms. 

 Bk. s., br. ,sp. 



Station 4786. Off Copper Island, Komandorskis. 54 fms. On. s. 



Station 4787. Off Copper Island, Komandorskis. 54-57 fms. On. s. 



Station 4794. Off Staritschkof Island, Kamtchatka. 58-69 fms. S., p. 



Station 4795. Off Staritschkof Island, Kamtchatka. 48-139 fms. Gn. s.,p. 



Station 4796. Off Staritschkof Island, Kamtchatka. 48 fms. S., p., sh. 



Bathymetrical range, 30-69 fms. 



Sixty-seven specimens. 



Echinarachnius asiaticus. 



Mic-hfliii, 1S59. Rev. et Mag. Zoul., 2, iki. 0. p. :i. 



Plate 143, figs. I-4. 



There is hardly room for questioning the distinctness of this species but it 

 is possible that it is not entitled to Michelin's name. His description of the 

 color fits fairly well, but not exactly and his specimen was not as high as might be. 

 But on the whole, it seems much better to use Michelin's name than to introduce 

 a new one, particularly as his specimen came from Kamtchatka. The abactinal 

 primary spines are strikingly different from those of parma; they are not only 

 much stouter but they are conspicuously swollen at the tip and their almost 

 white color adds to their prominence. They are numerous and of nearly uniform 

 length, giving the test a coarser, heavier, and less velvety covering than that of 

 parma. The general violet cast in the coloration varies somewhat in different 



