BASSIA BASSENSIS. 229 



Huxley's figures of his Aglaismoides eschscholtzii ('59, pi. 4, fig. 2-2a, 2b) 

 show the same characteristic form of the bract, and of its somatocyst; and I am 

 therefore convinced that the original diagnosis by Chun ('88) of the Eudoxid 

 of his Abyla quincunx, and by Lens and Van Riemsdijk of the "Siboga" speci- 

 mens, as identical with Huxley's species, was correct. 



Distribution. Abylopsis eschscholtzii, as shown by the records by Bedot 

 ('96), and by those of the "Siboga" and "Albatross," is very generally dis- 

 tributed over the Tropical Pacific and the Malaysian region. It was previously 

 known to be very common in the Tropical Atlantic (Chun, '88, '97b); and I 

 have examined a considerable series from the West Indies. So far as known 

 it is restricted to tropical and subtropical regions. 



BASSIA L. Agassiz, 1862. 



The genus Bassia has usually, but erroneously, been credited to Quoy and 

 Gaimard. It was first mentioned by Blainville ('30) who quoted Bassia quad- 

 rilatera, a manuscript name proposed by Quoy and Gaimard without descrip- 

 tion or figure. Since the latter do not give this name in their published work 

 ('34) it is necessarily a nomen nudum. L. Agassiz in 1862 considered that Abyla 

 perforata Gegenbaur ( = Diphyes bassensis Quoy and Gaimard) belonged to 

 Bassia, hence bassensis is the type and as yet the only known species of the 

 genus. 



Bassia bassensis (Quoy and Gaim.^rd). 



Plate 12, fig. 8; Plate 14, fig. 9. 



Diphyes bassensis Quoy and Gaimard, '34, p. 91, pi. 7, fig. 18-20. 



Calpe bassensis Lesson, '43, p. 451. 



Abyla bassensis Huxley, '59, p. 45, pi. 2, fig. 1 ; Sch.neider, '98, p. 91 ; Lens .and Van Riemsdijk, : OS, 



p. 26, pi. 4, fig. 32. 

 Spheiioides aiistralis Huxley, '59, p. 62, pi. 4, fig. 4, Chun, '88, p. 1160; Haeckel, '88b, p. 360; Bedot, 



'96, p. 375; Lens and Van Riemsdijk, :0S, p. 26, pi. 4, fig. 33. Eudoxid. 

 Abyla perforata Gegenbaur, '60, p. 356, taf. 29, fig. 20, 21; Chun, '97b, p. 32. 



Bassia perforata L. Agassiz, '62, p. 372; Chun, '88, p. 1190; Haeckel, '88b, p. 160; Bedot, '96, p. 374. 

 Bassia obeliscus Haeckel, '88a, p. 36; '88b, p. 160, pi. 37. 

 SphenoiJes obeliscus, Haeckel, '88a, p. 33; '88b, p. 116, pi. .38. Eudoxid. 

 Sphenoides perforata, Haeckel, '88a, p. 33; '88b, p. 116; Chun, '97b, p. 32. Eudoxid. 

 ? Parasphenoides amboinensis Bedot, '96, p. 376, pi. 12, fig. 2, 3. 



The polygastric state was taken at Stations 4598, 4611, 4617, 4659, 4661, 

 4667, 4673, 4679, 4699, 4716, 4724, in both surface and 300 fathom hauls. The 

 total number of specimens is 113; at Station 4617 a swarm was encountered. 



The Eudoxid was taken at Stations 4588, 4611, 4639, 4646, 4654, 4661, 



