BIHANG TILL K. sv. VET.-AKAD. HANDL. HAND 13. AFD. IT. N:0 O. l(il 



Misled by the reversed figure in Gualtieri and not un- 

 deceived by tlie one transversely placed in Eumphius, Linn^eds 

 fell into the error of inverting the specimen he dcscribed, 

 taking the forepart for the hinder part, and the anal end for 

 the front one. In order therefore rightlv to understand the 

 description, which but for this one mistake would he excellent 

 for that time, it becomes necessary to read »posteriora., »po- 

 stice», »pone», for »anteriora», »antice>, ; aute», and »anteriora». 

 »anticaA-, »autice» for >-posteriora», »postica», »postice». This 

 correction has been applied to the Linnean description given 

 above. 



Thus, the dorsal »centrum>^ is anterior. Of tlie four sexual 

 apertures the two posterior are the larger. The frontal ambiila- 

 crum, »radius qiiintus», is not reallv wanting, biit obsolete. The 

 reniform mouth is anterior, right under the apex; the excretory 

 opening at the posterior blunted extremity. Upon the hind 

 part of the ventral surfacc there are three prominences from 

 which the tubercles radiate: one on the sternum itself, close 

 to its posterior margin, a second on the episternura, and a 

 third on tlie iirst pair of pre-anal plates. Behind these pro- 

 minences, or, rather, behind the first two of them, there is 

 an area circumscribed by the sub-anal fasciola, and within 

 that area the radiating disposition of the tubercles is very 

 distinct; and on each side there are four pedicellar pores. 



From this description the species has been made out to 

 be one of the Brissiu;e. There are three specimens of Spa- 

 tangi in the coUcction, namely two of the Brissus columbaris 

 Lamck., and one of the Metalia maculosa Leske. On this spe- 

 cimen there is pasted a Swartzian printed label: Echinus Spa- 

 tagus, and near it there is lying a small strip with the same 

 name in Thunberg's hand. It is entirely denuded, with the 

 largc periproct deprived of its anal membrane and gaping, 

 and accords with this cntrv in Thunberg's list: »Echinus 



Spatagus without spines, cntire, with a hole in it>, 



mcaning the open periproct. That this specimen alone, the 

 single one of the Metalia maculosa Leske, is the type descri- 

 bed by LiNNiEUS, is shown already by the words: >striis reti- 

 culatis-^), referrinof to the reticulated lines of a lio-htcr colour 

 marking the sutures, and which in this species are often par- 

 ticidarly distinct, and wcre laid stress upon in the descriptions 

 and delineations of the time, as the »nitida, marmoris veluti, 



11 



