THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LITTORAL ECHINODERMS 
OF THE WEST INDIES. 
By Husert LyMan Cuark. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Among the various groups of invertebrate animals which swarm 
on the reefs and along the shores of the West Indies none is more 
conspicuous than the Echinodermata and few are more abundant or 
diversified. Wherever conditions are at all favorable for the forma- 
tion of coral reefs, and in many places where corals scarcely grow at 
all, echinoderms are found in greater or less abundance, and either 
by their size or color or both are sure to attract the attention of even 
a casual observer. 
In April 1896 I first came into contact with this interesting fauna 
while I was enjoying the privileges of the Johns Hopkins University’s 
Marine Laboratory at Port Henderson, Jamaica. The following 
summer my acquaintance with it was renewed at Port Antonio, 
Jamaica, under the same auspices. 
In April 1899 I spent two weeks in Bermuda, most of my collecting 
being in the vicinity of Bailey Bay, Coney Island, and Castle Harbor. 
In the fall of 1902 I again visited Port Henderson, Jamaica, and in 
the spring of 1909 I was at Port Antonio again for a week. In the 
spring of 1912 I enjoyed the privileges of the Carnegie Institution’s 
laboratory at Montego Bay, Jamaica, while in 1916, under the same 
auspices, I had the opportunity of spending five weeks at Pigeon Point, 
Tobago. Finally, the month of June 1917 was spent at the Tortugas 
Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, where every 
facility was provided for the collection and study of echinoderms. 
As a result of these unusual opportunities, I have accumulated a 
large part of the data presented in this report, my attention having 
been almost wholly given to the littoral echinoderms. The word 
littoral is used in the strictest sense, only those species being included 
which I have myself collected on the reefs or in very shallow water, or 
for whose occurence there the records are indubitable. As a matter 
of fact, I have collected nine-tenths of these species. In compiling 
the list, I have been very arbitrary and have omitted a considerable 
number of species which might be expected in it. Further reference 
will be made to these under the respective groups into which the list 
is divided. The collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoédlogy 
contain a large amount of West Indian material and this has been 
freely used and of invaluable assistance in the preparation of this 
paper. I have also made use of all available publications in search- 
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