ANNOTATED LIST. 179 
Throughout the Torres Strait region, impatiens (sens. lat.) is one of the commonest 
holothurians, occurring under rock-fragments and in dead coral wherever local conditions 
permit. The specimens collected fall into the following groups, which are easily distin- 
guished (with one exception) by color alone, but I have not as yet discovered any corre- 
lated character or characters which are reliable.! 
(1) H. impatiens, typical (pl. 19, fig. 5). This is the usual variegated form, the colora- 
tion of which is most diversified; the ground-color is gray (with or without a purple cast) 
or brown, and either black or white or both may occur in blotches or bands; the papille 
are brown or yellowish, often with light tips, or they may be the same color as that part 
of the animal from which they arise. Forskal’s figure shows what his description indicates, 
that he had this variety as the basis of his species. In some individuals from Mer the 
papille are all yellow, in handsome contrast with the purplish-brown background. I have 
been inclined to designate these by a varietal name, but as they intergrade with ordinary 
specimens, I have decided not to do so. 
(2) H. impatiens var. concolor. Holotype, M. C. Z. No. 1039. This form is a uni- 
formly purplish-gray; the exact shade varies from light to dark, but there is not much 
diversity; the papille are the same color as the body itself. Specimens of this form are 
often smaller than typical impatiens, and the papille seem relatively smaller still. The 
West Indian holothurians referred to impatiens are nearest this variety. 
(3) H. impatiens var. pulchra (pl. 19, fig. 3). Holotype, M. C. Z. No. 1043. This is 
a very conspicuous variety, with the body-wall yellow (often with a greenish tinge) and 
the papillee brown (often with a purple tinge). It is strikingly different from the preceding 
forms and contrasts especially with the extreme impatiens which has yellow papille. 
(4) H. impatiens var. lutea. Holotype, M. C. Z. No. 1041. In this form the papille 
and body-wall alike are a uniform yellow, having a slightly brownish tint. Only a single 
specimen was seen, and that was found under a stone on the southeastern reef-flat at Mer. 
It may seem a needless multiplication of names to designate each of these varieties 
in this way, but in future discussions of the species it will be a convenience to have some 
simple means of indicating such well-marked forms, and I am not at all sure that one or 
more of them may not prove to be valid species. 
All these holothurians as seen at Mer agreed in the cylindrical body, showing no clear 
difference between dorsal and ventral surfaces, but uniformly covered with rather well 
spaced, large papilla, and without distinct pedicels. They all have 20 light-colored ten- 
tacles and conspicuously well developed, white, very viscid Cuvier’s organs. They grow 
to a large size, at least up to 400 mm. in length. They are somewhat gregarious, three or 
four specimens often occurring under the same shelter. 
Holothuria leucospilota. 
Stichopus (Gymnochirota) leucospilota Brandt. 1835. Prod. desc. Anim., p. 251. 
Holothuria vagabunda Selenka. 1867. Zeit. f. w. Zool., 17, p. 334, pl. xix, figs. 75, 76.—Semper. 1868. Holo- 
thurien, p. 81, pl. xxi. 
Holothuria leucospilota Ludwig. 1881. Zeit. f. w. Zool., 35, p. 595. 
Although Ludwig does not use the combination of generic and specific names here 
credited to him, either in this place or in subsequent publications, he demonstrates beyond 
doubt the identity of Brandt’s and Selenka’s species and indicates that Holothwria leucos- 
pilota is the proper name to use. It is regrettable to abandon so familiar a name as vaga- 
bunda, but there seems to be no reason whatever for not using the much older name. The 
species has very distinctive calcareous tables, which make its identification relatively easy 
as compared with most members of the genus. The distribution is throughout the Indo- 
1T hope at some future time to make a thorough study of all the impatiens material I can obtain and deter- 
mine positively the significance of the unusual diversity. 
