208 " ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



VI. — Relationship of the Fauna. 

 It will be noted that the new or little-known species ob- 

 tained all belong to genera already known from other parts of 

 the world, for the most part widely distributed groups. The 

 two exceptions are, however, noteworthy. Nototodarus is a 

 remarkable genus of the Ommastrephidoi, the characters of 

 which have but recently been made known, while its species 

 have heretofore been reported only from Fiji and New 

 Zealand. It is therefore very interesting to learn, through the 

 discovery of males of this species, that the old Ommastrephes 

 gouldi of McCoy is apparently referable here, its remarkable 

 hectocotylized arms attaining a complexity in their fully 

 formed condition beyond anything previously known for the 

 entire family. That the material of this species includes 

 enough growth stages to throw considerable light upon the 

 development of these structures is a fortunate circumstance. 



The other exception referred to is a beautiful new species 

 of the typical group of Enoploteuthis. Until now this genus 

 has been known only by a South Atlantic representative, a 

 Japanese species, and a very old miconfirmed record of its 

 occurrence in the South Pacific. The Japanese species 

 appears to bear the closest relationship to the Australian 

 form. 



Also worthy of special mention is the occurrence of a 

 Hossia, the second member of the genus to be brought to 

 light from the southern hemisphere. Its predecessor is E. 

 mastigophora, Chun, from the Indian Ocean (Lat. 0°27'S., 

 Long 42°47'E.). The two species are very nearly allied, but 

 appear so sharply marked o& from their northern congeners 

 that a new section or subgenus is here proposed for their 

 reception. 



The Indian Ocean fauna is brought to mind not only by 

 this Rossia, but by much of the remainder of the collection. 

 Yet our information seems still too scanty to enable us to say 

 more than tliis regarding the zoogeographic relationships of 

 the fauna as a whole. Nototodarus would appear to constitute 

 an important South Pacific element. 



To attempt at this time to work out a system of faunal 

 zones on the basis of the distribution of the Cephalopoda, or 

 even to tiy to bring them into correlation with those which 

 have been established for other groups, as notably for the 

 lower Mollusca by C. Hedley and for the Echinoderms by H. L, 

 Clark, would be sadly premature, and could result only in 

 confusion. This must wait for further work. 



