A REVISION OP THE GENUS STKGANOPORELLA. 293 



Batliy met rical and Geogr apliical Distribution. 



'J'here is very little to be said under the first of these head- 

 ings. Most of the records of the occurrence of Stegano- 

 porella refer to the locality only. S. magnilabris^ of 

 which there are several records, has usually been found at 

 depths of 10 — 40 fathoms; but a Steganoporella which 

 is probably S. magnilabris is recorded by Ortmann from 

 shallow water to 200 fathoms from Japan. All the other 

 localities from which specimens of the genus have been 

 obtained mention some land or submerged bank; and the 

 evidence is in favour of its being principally littoral or found 

 in shallow water. 



With regard to geographical distribution, it may be con- 

 cluded that the genus is a southern one, which is common 

 between the equator and 50° S., and has extended in one or 

 two cases to the north side of the equator, reaching 35° N. 

 in Japan. The only species which are known to occur north 

 of the equator^ are S. magnilabris (W. Indies, Sandwich 

 Islands, Eastern Archipelago, Japan) ; and S. Buskii and 

 S. sulcata, both of which occur in the Indian Ocean. Of 

 these, S. magnilabris occurs in all the great oceans; being 

 found, in addition to the localities already indicated, off the 

 coast of Brazil and off Queensland ; and being the only 

 species described from the Atlantic Ocean. Jullien has, 

 however, stated ^ that he obtained two new species off the 

 coast of Liberia; and it is not to be supposed that S. Buskii 

 does not extend along part of the western coast of Africa. 

 No species is at yet known from the southern part of South 

 America. The Indo-Pacific region is clearly the head- 

 quarters of the genus, Torres Straits, with four or five 

 species (S. lateralis, ? S. sulcata, S. Buskii, S. Had- 



' Various nortliern species, recent and fossil, belonging to Tlialamo- 

 porella, liave been described under the name of Steganoporella, 

 * ' Miss. Sci. Cap. Horn,' vi, 1888, p. 1. 79. 



