248 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 8 



color, but by the time it is 8-10 mm across, spots and blotches of gray or 

 dull green have begim to appear and in mature specimens, 20-30 mm 

 across, the upper surface may be more or less dull colored with spots or 

 blotches of cream color. The slender, more or less acicular, spines are 

 unicolor, generally cream color or even white, but the smaller ones are 

 often graj'. In many specimens, however, the primary spines are yellowish 

 brown or even rust color, and in others they are dull gray. From some 

 stations the specimens are so dark as to be easily confused with pictus. 

 This is most apt to be the case with material from the deeper water sta- 

 tions, much of the test and most of the spines being dull greenish gray ; 

 in such specimens the spines are apt to be shorter and blunter than usual, 

 and the resemblance to the following species may be confusing. The dif- 

 ferences will be emphasized under pictus. Very young specimens of 

 anamesus are almost pure white or very pale yellow and the primary 

 spines are often conspicuously long and acicular. Before the test is 10 mm 

 in diameter, a dull colored spot begins to appear at the upper end of each 

 interradial area and these are soon followed by others until in adult 

 specimens the whole upper surface of the test is conspicuously blotched 

 with the darker shade. At the same time primary spines also take on the 

 dull color, in more or less marked contrast with their fellows. As already 

 stated some individuals, and at some stations all, are so dark as to be 

 difficult to recognize as anamesus. Occasionally individuals are met with 

 of so dark a brown as to make identification difficult but the relatively 

 long acicular spines are distinctive in most of such cases. Not rarely 

 specimens 12-15 mm in diameter are met with which have developed no 

 pigment but are uniformly white or cream color. As a rule, however, 

 pigmentation begins vtry soon after the test is fully formed. 



Distribution. — ^The remarkably limited range of this sea-urchin is 

 notable for the thousands of specimens taken by the Velero are convinc- 

 ing proof that it is a very common species off the coast of southern Cali- 

 fornia and the adjoining islands, as far south as Station 283-34 off 

 Thurloe Head, Lower California (27° 37' 30'' N). It was not taken 

 north of Station 1410-41 (34° 53' 35" N), 3 miles east of the southern 

 point of Santa Rosa Island, in 17-20 fms. It was seldom taken in less 

 than 20 fms, the least depth being in 8-10 fms, at the southernmost sta- 

 tion, off Thurloe Head. The greatest depth was at 160 fms at Station 

 1182-40, near Catalina Island. This distribution is strikingly similar to 

 that of the 414 specimens on which the species was based. The Albatross 



