﻿328 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  number 
  of 
  stations 
  dredged 
  and 
  searched 
  in 
  the 
  north-eastern 
  dis- 
  

   trict, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  known 
  ability 
  of 
  the 
  distinguished 
  collector, 
  

   Dr. 
  11. 
  W. 
  Coppinger, 
  give 
  an 
  assurance 
  that 
  from 
  shallow 
  water 
  in 
  

   this 
  quarter 
  but 
  few 
  novelties 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  bo 
  received 
  in 
  future. 
  

   The 
  results 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  northern 
  region 
  (from 
  Torres 
  Straits 
  

   westward 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  130th 
  parallel 
  of 
  E. 
  longitude) 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  

   interesting, 
  but 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  localities 
  and 
  stations 
  searched 
  here 
  

   is 
  relatively 
  smaller 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side. 
  The 
  small 
  number 
  

   of 
  Pennatulida3 
  is 
  partly 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  depths 
  

   reached 
  by 
  the 
  dredge 
  did 
  not 
  exceed 
  30 
  fms. 
  in 
  any 
  locality 
  but 
  

   one, 
  viz. 
  Arafura 
  Sea, 
  where 
  32-36 
  fms. 
  are 
  recorded. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  

   mosr 
  important 
  results 
  is 
  the 
  acquisition 
  of 
  definite 
  localities 
  for 
  

   some 
  interesting 
  forms 
  whose 
  exact 
  origin 
  was 
  hitherto 
  unknown 
  

   (see 
  Leucoella 
  cervicormis, 
  Mopsella 
  textiformis). 
  Several, 
  however, 
  

   described 
  by 
  Lamarck, 
  Lamouroux, 
  and 
  Gray, 
  probably 
  coming 
  from 
  

   this 
  region, 
  still 
  remain 
  undetermined 
  as 
  to 
  exact 
  locality. 
  The 
  

   known 
  range 
  of 
  some 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  greatly 
  extended 
  by 
  this 
  Ex- 
  

   pedition, 
  e. 
  g. 
  NeplitJiya 
  julcesi, 
  Muricea 
  umbraticoides, 
  Siphonogorgia 
  

   mirabilis, 
  Acaharia 
  japonica, 
  whose 
  previously 
  known 
  habitats 
  were 
  

   respectively 
  — 
  i. 
  Philippine 
  Islands 
  ; 
  ii. 
  N. 
  "W.Australia; 
  iii. 
  EedSea; 
  

   iv. 
  Japan. 
  

  

  In 
  all, 
  excluding 
  the 
  two 
  Pennatulids 
  as 
  visitors 
  from 
  the 
  deeper 
  

   water, 
  the 
  shallow 
  waters 
  in 
  the 
  districts 
  examined 
  yielded 
  alto- 
  

   gether 
  36 
  species, 
  of 
  which 
  12, 
  or 
  one 
  third, 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  new 
  to 
  

   science, 
  and 
  are, 
  with 
  one 
  exception 
  (EcJiinoninricea 
  indo-malaccensis), 
  

   according 
  to 
  present 
  knowledge, 
  peculiar 
  to 
  these 
  districts. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   remaining 
  species, 
  two 
  (EUisella 
  calamus 
  and 
  Leucoella 
  cervicornis) 
  

   are 
  not 
  known 
  out 
  of 
  Australian 
  (N.AV., 
  N., 
  or 
  N.E.) 
  seas 
  ; 
  while 
  

   Muricea 
  umbraticoides 
  and 
  Mojisella 
  textiformis 
  are 
  known 
  only 
  

   from 
  N.E. 
  Australia 
  and 
  Dirk 
  Hartog 
  Island 
  (W. 
  Australia). 
  

   Studer 
  gives 
  22 
  other 
  species 
  from 
  West 
  and 
  N^.W. 
  Australia 
  

   (Dampier 
  Island 
  and 
  Dirk 
  Hartog 
  Island), 
  and 
  Gray 
  2 
  other 
  species 
  

   from 
  localities 
  within 
  these 
  limits. 
  Of 
  these 
  24, 
  12 
  are 
  not 
  known 
  

   elsewhere 
  ; 
  so 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  23 
  species 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  certainly 
  known 
  

   outside 
  Australia 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  30th 
  parallel 
  of 
  latitude. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  species 
  not 
  confined 
  to 
  Australia, 
  Spongodes 
  florida, 
  Ecliino- 
  

   gorgia 
  fiabellum, 
  Ctenocella 
  pectinata, 
  Jvncella 
  elongata, 
  and 
  Subero- 
  

   gorgia 
  sidjerosa 
  are 
  generally 
  distributed 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  Ocean-; 
  

   Spongodes 
  spinosa 
  and 
  Solenoccmlum 
  tortuostim 
  extend, 
  as 
  at 
  jDresent 
  

   determined, 
  only 
  to 
  New 
  Guinea; 
  Telesto 
  smitlii 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  off 
  Timor; 
  

   Neplithya 
  julcesi 
  goes 
  further, 
  to 
  the 
  Philippine 
  Islands. 
  One 
  species, 
  

   Acabaria 
  japonica, 
  extends 
  to 
  Japan 
  ; 
  two, 
  Siphonogorgia 
  ynirabilis 
  

   and 
  Juncella 
  gemmacea, 
  to 
  the 
  Eed 
  Sea 
  ; 
  and 
  two, 
  those 
  termed 
  

   provisionally 
  Leptogorgia 
  fi^^xilis 
  and 
  Plexaura 
  miniacea, 
  possibly 
  to 
  

   the 
  Western 
  American 
  coast. 
  

  

  The 
  systematic 
  list 
  which 
  follows 
  will 
  show 
  sufficiently 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   tribution 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  within 
  Australian 
  waters. 
  I 
  have 
  adopted 
  

   the 
  same 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  localities 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Sponges. 
  

  

  The 
  list 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  (23) 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  on 
  the 
  Queensland 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  south-east 
  of 
  Torres 
  Straits, 
  

  

  