N0.19S9. ASCIDIAN8 FROM NORTHEASTERN PACIFIC— BITTER. 455 



Loring specimens generally. The ecMnation of the Loring and 

 Puget Sound specimens do not differ in any recognizable way. 



Huntsman, 1911, asserts that he has collected specimens from one 

 locahty on the Canadian coast showing a range of variation so great 

 as to include H. villosa, H. castaneiformis v. Drasche, and Boltenia 

 ecMnata Ritter! The evidence for this we shall await with much 

 interest. 



HALOCYNTmA CASTANEIFORMIS (v. Drasche). 



Cynthia castaneiformis von Drasche, 1884. p. 373, pi. 2, figs. 9, 10. — Ritter, 1900, 



p. 599, pi. 18, figs. 6. 7; and pi. 19, fig. 25. 

 Pyura castaneiformis Hartmeyer, 1909a, p. 1339. 



The single specimen in the collection that I identify as this species 

 is from Albatross 3088, off the Oregon coast, lat. 44° 28' N.; long. 

 124° 25' 30" W., 46 fathoms, bottom clay and pebbles, September 

 3, 1889. 



The material is not sufficient to afford any new Ught on the inter- 

 esting question of the relationships and distribution of the echinated 

 group of Halocynthias. (See particularly Ritter, 1907, p. 12.) 



The spines of the test are sparser and smaller in the specimen 

 than is usual even for this species. 



For the benefit of whoever may undertake the task at some future 

 time of a critical study of this group I give the most important diag- 

 nostic features of the speciinen at hand. 



Branchial tentacles 33, rather large and well branched. 



Folds of the branchial sac, 8 on each side. 



Formula of longitudinal vessels: 



F rT t 1 [0-4-2-^^-2-.?7-l-i7-0-^i-0-^7-0-^^-l-^7-l L. 

 J^naostyie |Q_^_i_^^_2-M-l-i7-0-^5-0-^5-0-i5-0-M-0 R. 



Stigmata transversely elongated, but a few scattered ones longi- 

 tudinally elongated in the spaces between the regular series of trans- 

 versely elongated ones. 



Gonads, one elongated mass on each side. 



HALOCYNTmA OKAI Ritter. 



Halocynthia olcai Ritter, 1907, p. 11, pi. 1, figs. 9-16. 

 Pyura olcai Hartmeyer, 1909, p. 1340. 



The number of tentacles is high in the specimens at hand as com- 

 pared with those of the species from the California coast, there being 

 as many as 37 in one specimen, and in none observed has the number 

 been less than 29. On the other hand, 16 is the number reported in 

 the original description. Since, however, there is no other difficulty 

 in the way of the identification, it is probably safe to assume that 

 further study would increase the number in animals from the original 

 locality and dinunish that for animals from the more northern region. 



