﻿174 
  

  

  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  Table 
  V. 
  — 
  List 
  of 
  Ophiuroidea 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  ' 
  Alert.' 
  

  

  1. 
  

   2. 
  

   3. 
  

   4. 
  

  

  5. 
  

   6. 
  

  

  7. 
  

  

  8. 
  

  

  9. 
  

   10. 
  

   11. 
  

   12. 
  

   13. 
  

   14. 
  

   15. 
  

   IG, 
  

   17. 
  

   18. 
  

   19. 
  

   20. 
  

   21. 
  

   22. 
  

   23. 
  

   24. 
  

   25. 
  

   26. 
  

   27. 
  

   28. 
  

   29. 
  

   30. 
  

   31. 
  

  

  Pectinura 
  gorgonia 
  

  

  infernalis 
  

  

  niegaloplax 
  

  

  stellata 
  

  

  Opliiopeza 
  conjuugens,... 
  

   Opliiolepis 
  aunulosa 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   Ophioplocus 
  imbricatus 
  

  

  Ophiactis 
  saviguii 
  

  

  Ophionereis 
  dubia 
  

  

  Ophiocoma 
  brevipes 
  ... 
  

  

  scolopendrina 
  

  

  erinaceuB 
  

  

  pica 
  

  

  Ophiarthrum 
  elegans 
  ... 
  

   Ophiarachna 
  incrassata 
  

   Ophiothrix 
  trilineata 
  ... 
  

  

  propiuqua 
  

  

  longipeda 
  

  

  cffispitosa 
  

  

  — 
  martensi 
  

  

  striolata 
  

  

  galateaj 
  

  

  ciliaris 
  

  

  rotata 
  

  

  f 
  umaria 
  

  

  punctolirabata 
  

  

  microplax 
  

  

  darwiui 
  

  

  melanogramraa 
  .. 
  

  

  Ophiomaza 
  cacaotica 
  .. 
  

   Eurj-ale 
  aspera 
  

  

  o 
  B 
  

  

  ° 
  Ph' 
  

  

  ■ 
  (var.) 
  

  

  ^i^O 
  

  

  The 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  'Alert' 
  afford 
  us, 
  then, 
  another 
  justification 
  for 
  

   the 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  in 
  the 
  Indo-Pacific 
  of 
  a 
  widely 
  distributed 
  

   common 
  fauna. 
  

  

  It 
  must, 
  however, 
  be 
  carefully 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  

   of 
  this 
  common 
  fauna 
  is 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  inter-tropical 
  zone 
  ; 
  what 
  

   little 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Southern 
  Japanese 
  seas 
  leads 
  us 
  

   to 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  common 
  forms 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  there 
  also. 
  

  

  The 
  majority 
  of 
  extra-Australian 
  naturalists 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  failed 
  a 
  

   little 
  in 
  recognizing 
  the 
  lesson 
  which 
  these 
  collections 
  bring 
  so 
  

   prominently 
  forward 
  — 
  a 
  lesson 
  already 
  being 
  learnt 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  

   have 
  the 
  best 
  opportunities 
  of 
  examining 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  

   Australian 
  fauna 
  ; 
  the 
  term 
  Australian, 
  without 
  definition 
  or 
  

   limitation, 
  affords 
  no 
  exact 
  inforraationt. 
  It 
  is 
  greatly 
  to 
  be 
  

   regretted 
  that 
  in 
  his 
  tables 
  of 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  collected 
  

  

  t 
  As 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  Dr. 
  Giinther 
  has 
  long 
  since 
  recognized 
  this 
  as 
  regards 
  

   Fishes, 
  and 
  has 
  instituted 
  a 
  South-Australian 
  District 
  (Introd. 
  Study 
  of 
  

   Fishes, 
  p. 
  283). 
  

  

  