CHAETOGNATHA COLLECTED BY STEAMER ALBATROSS. 261 



were collected. This is true even when every haul is made with the 

 same net, and when various types of nets are used the data are worse 

 than useless for this purpose. For these reasons it may well be 

 that, as indicated by other reports, S.ferox is typically epiplanktonic 

 in the Philippine region. It was taken in abundance during the 

 Siboga expedition from the surface, but only rarely from the 

 mesoplankton. 



Indeed the species appears to be restricted to the epiplankton of 

 the Indo-Australian region, although, owing to its questionable 

 synonymy with S. robusta Doncaster, this statement is made with 

 some reservations. But, even assuming the two species to be synony- 

 mical, it is still restricted in distribution to the surface and upper 

 epiplankton of tropical and subtropical regions. Thus, according 

 to Bitter-Zahony (1911, p. 58) ; it is found "im Atlantischen Ozean 

 zwischen 0° and 20° N., im Indischen zwischen 20° and 30° S. in 

 Vertikalfangen und an der Obernasche. . . ." He continues: 

 "Auf der Westseite des Atlantischen Ozeans wird sie zwar durch 

 den Floridastrom wohl bis in die Gegend des 40° N. gebracht, auf 

 der Ostseite gelangt sie jedoch kaum bis zum 35°. Breitegrad, da 

 sie ja schon im Mittelmeer fehlt. Im Siiden dtirfte sie gerade noch 

 um die Siidspitze Afrikas herumkommen. Im Stillen Ozean ist 

 sie bisher nur funf Fundorten, die samtlich auf seiner Westseite 

 liegen, bekannt geworden. . . . Ich glaube jedoch, dass die Ver- 

 breitung der S. robusta im Stillen Ozean der im Atlantischen vollig 

 analog ist, d. h. das tropisch-subtropische Gebeit umfasst und nur 

 auf der Westseite etwas weiter nach Norden reicht, wobei der Kuro- 

 Siwo die Rolle des Floridastroms iibernimmt." Clearly S. ferox 

 is a warm water species, but is its absence in the eastern Pacific 

 not more likely attributable to the abnormally cold water there 

 due to upwelling? (see p. 271). 



The northernmost and westernmost record of its capture in the 

 Philippine region is 21° 31' north and 117° 53' east, or in the south 

 China Sea, approximately halfway between the city of Hongkong 

 and the island of Formosa. The southernmost record is 5° 36' 

 south at 122° 7.6' east off the south end of the island of Celebes in 

 Buton Strait. The easternmost record is 0° 32.5' south and 126° 

 31.5' east, or, less accurately, at the southern end of Molucca Passage 

 east of Tomini Bay. The largest number of specimens (217) was 

 taken February 7, 190S, at 8.05 in the morning, from 25 fathoms by 

 an open 0000 grit-gauze net towed horizontally 9 fathoms above the 

 bottom of the Sum Archipelago, near Basilan Island, at 6° 44.2' 

 north and 121° 47' east. The other records are given in the table 

 following. 



