432 Deej)-sea Trawling off the S.W. Coast of Ireland : 



ECHINODERMATA. 



By F. Jeffrey Bell, M.A., Sec.B.M.S. 



[Plates XVIII. & XIX.] 



The collection of Echinoderms made by Mr. Green is of 

 very great interest and importance ; it contains several excel- 

 lent specimens of Phormosoma placenta, the type of which 

 seems to be lost, and was, as Wyville Thomson reports, 

 imperfect. The species of Echinus present, as may be 

 expected^ considerable difficulty, and it is clear that much to 

 be said with regard to them must be considered as tentative ; 

 the range of variation exhibited by Spatangus Raschi is enor- 

 mous, and the possibility of hybrids existing between it and 

 S. purjmreus will have to be borne in mind. Asterias rubens 

 comes from 100 fathoms, a greater depth than any yet recorded; 

 for the first time we are able to enumerate among the British 

 deep-sea Echinoderms a species of the genus which Mr. W. 

 Percy Sladen has lately described under the name of Nym- 

 pjhasfer ; Astrogonium is represented by a new species taken 

 at 1000 fathoms, and there is an excellent series of Astro- 

 pectens. There is a remarkable form from the same great 

 depths which appears to be allied to Hymenaster ; but I think 

 it well to postpone an account of it till I am able to compare 

 it Avith those described by Mr. Sladen, which will, I hope, 

 shortly find their resting-place in the National Collection. I 

 propose in like manner to defer an account of a remarkable 

 Ophiurid till I have had under my eyes the Ophwhyrsa 

 hystricis which was described some time since by Mr. Ly- 

 man, but which has not yet been deposited in the Museum ; 

 our specimen, which is unfortunately both unique and dry, 

 agrees exactly with Wyville Thomson's description of " a 

 very large Ophiurid with thick arras, upwards of 3 deci- 

 metres long, and a large soft disk resembling that of Ophio- 

 myxa^ to which genus it seems to be allied ; " * but it does 

 not correspond at all with another Ophiohyrsa^ viz. 0. rudis. 



1 must not conclude these introductory remarks without 

 giving expression to the opinion that one of the most necessary 

 pieces of work now to be done in marine zoology is the inves- 

 tigation of the dee^D-sea fauna of the south-west coast of 

 Ireland. 



A. PELMATOZOA. 



I. Crinoidea. 

 Antedon hijida^ Penn. 

 Antedon rosacea, auct. 



In the present state of our knowledge I must refer to this 

 * ' Depths of the Sea,' p. 124. 



