344 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 8 



Willards Island, in January, 1940, and at Puerto Refugio, Angel de la 

 Guardia Island, also in January, 1940. All the specimens at hand were 



taken along shore. 



Distribution.— GuU of California to Panama; Indo-Pacific from 



Hawaii, Australia to the Red Sea and Japan. 

 Type. — Unknown. 

 Type locality. — Unknown. 

 Depth. — Shore. 

 Specimens examined. — 21 specimens from 6 stations. 



Meoma grandis Gray 

 Plate 68, Figs. 76-77 



Meoma prandis Gray, 1851, p. 132. 



A. Agassiz, 1873, p. 603, pi. 34, figs. 1, 2. 

 This big dull-colored Spatangoid appears to be common in the tropical 

 Eastern Pacific, north of the equator, and the Velero collection contains 

 some 90 specimens from 25 stations. All, however, are adults as the 

 smallest is 80 x 72 x 39 mm. The largest is nearly twice that but is at 

 present broken into two large bare pieces. It was in life at least 150 mm 

 long, by 137 mm wide and 75 mm high. No other specimen is nearly so 

 large, the biggest being 120 x 110 x 50 mm. Only 2 specimens, besides the 

 large fragments, are bare. The color of the naked tests is a light brown 

 gray or a deep brown with a violet cast. All of the other specimens are 

 brown, usually very dark but the fragments from Cocos Island are defi- 

 nitely yellow brown. Several specimens are nearly black. On the whole, 

 this Meoma must be regarded as the dullest colored, most unattractive 

 echinoid of the west coast. 



Distribution. — Meoma ranges from Port Utria. Colombiafi some 6 

 degrees north of the equator, in 15-30 fms, to the upper end of the Gulf 

 of California (Angeles Channel, 28° 57' N). At the outlying islands, the 

 Velero took good specimens in Braithwaite Bay, Socorro Island, and 

 fragments of at least two large ones in Chatham Bay, Cocos Island. At 

 the Galapagos Islands, the only specimen met with was the very large one, 

 whose bare fragments were dredged in 58-60 fms, east of the south end of 

 Albemarle Island. The bathymetric range of Meoma is not great, from 

 along shore in a fathom or so to something less than 60 fms. 



Type. — British Museum (No number). 



Type locality. — Gray's original locality, "Australia," generally con- 

 sidered erroneous. 



Depth. — Shore to 60 fms. 



Specimens examined. — 90 specimens from 25 stations. 



