TARDIGRADA: PACIFIC ISLANDS 157 



Our knowledge is as yet far too scanty to permit of any useful discussion even of 

 geographical distribution. All the collections have been hurriedly made in the most 

 unlikely localities, viz., in the immediate neighbourhood of the various ports of call. 

 The entire interior of the islands, with all their variety of climate and physical features, 

 is untouched. 



No doubt the right kind of work would result in greatly extending the number of 

 species. The great apparent difference in the productiveness of Fiji and Hawaii is 

 doubtless due to nothing else than the fact that there was no suitable collecting- 

 ground within reach at Fiji. 



All that can at present be done is to indicate the general distribution of the few 

 species yet collected. 



In the following table I have included Professor Richters' records for Samoa and 

 the Hawaiian group (37). These include one species (M. samoanus) which we did not 

 get, and the only species which is not known anywhere else than in the Pacific 

 Islands. It exhibits the distribution in four columns for the islands, and nine for the 

 rest of the world. 



DISTRIBUTION : LOCAL AND GENERAL 



Pacific Islands 



Nineteen species were collected in the islands, 3 in Fiji and 16 in the Hawaiian 

 group (Sandwich Isles), but only 15 were identified. Adding M. samoanus, 



* All these records, except the Australian one, are wrong ; the animals recorded as E. arctomys are 

 either E. iiiutabilis or E. suillus (see p. 126 and footnote). 



