ECHINOIDEA. II. 



undoubtedly has its home in the East American region, but has crossed the Atlantic, its pelagic larvae 

 having been transported by the streams. (It is true that the larva of this species is still unknown, 

 but the occurrence of the species on both sides of the Atlantic makes it almost beyond doubt that it 

 must have pelagic larvse). Arbacia pustulosa, on the other hand, has its home in the Mediterranean 

 region and has from there crossed the Atlantic to the Brazilian Coast. The course of the Gulf-Stream 

 from Florida to the Azores, and of the Northern Passat-Stream from West Africa to Brazil and the 

 West Indies naturally explains this extension of the two species in "opposite directions. Echinocardium 

 cordatum probably also has its home at the European side of the Atlantic, where its main distribution 

 is; for the rest of the species: Dorocidaris papillata, Cidaris affinis, Genocidaris maculata, Neolampas 

 rostellata and Brissus unicolor it is scarcely possible to state more precisely, where their original home 

 must be sought for, as they seem to be equally widely distributed in both regions, the first of them 

 even ranging over the whole of the Northern Atlantic. 



The rest of the species occurring in this region, viz. Parechinus miliaris, Echinus acutus, Echi- 

 cyamus pustllus, Spatangus purpureus, Echinocardium flavescens and Brissopsis lyrifera are common to 

 this region and the European boreal region. Parechinus miliaris is certainly only an intruder from 

 the boreal region. The fact that Spatangus purpiireus and Brissopsis lyrifera are found already in the 

 Miocene of Italy makes it rather probable that their original home is in the Mediterranean, from 

 which they have extended over a considerable part of the Atlantic, though probably not to the Amer- 

 ican side. For Echinus acutus, Echinocyamus pusillus and Echinocardium flavescens it is scarcely pos- 

 sible to say more definitely which of the two regions must be regarded as their original home ; it can 

 only be said that Echinus acutus has probably immigrated into the Mediterranean after the formation 

 of its recent connection with the Atlantic. 



The West African tropical region comprises the tract from Cape Verde and the Cape Verde 

 Islands to about the mouth of the Congo; it is, however, comparatively little known, and possibly its 

 southern limit will prove to go somewhat farther down towards the Cape, the littoral fauna of this 

 southern part of the African Coast being almost completely unknown. - - Perhaps also St. Helena and 

 Ascension rightly belong to this region. Their littoral fauna is, however, too imperfectly known to 

 say anything certain thereof at present. 1 



The following species are recorded from this region: 



Dorocidaris nuda Echinus me'lo Echinolampas Hellei 



Cidaris tribuloides Sphaerechinus granularis Echinoneus cyclostomus 



metularia Tripneustes esculentus Schizaster Edwardsi 

 Tretocidaris spinosa gratilla (angulosus) Brissus unicolor 



Diadema antillarum Echinometra lucunter Rhabdobrissus Jullieni 



Arbacia pustulosa Clypeaster subdepressus Metalia Africana 



Genocidaris maculata Rotula Augusti Meoma ventricosa. 

 Parechinus microtuberculatus Rumphii 



* In the Report on the Fauna of Ascension (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 5. Ser. VIII. iSSi) the following Echinoids are 

 named (identified by Professor F. J. Bell): Cidaris metularia, Diadema setosum, Tripneustes angulosus, Echinometra % sul>- 

 anoularis, Echinoneus cyclostomus and Rotula dentata. It seems, indeed, very remarkable that no less than three Indo-Pacific 

 forms are represented in this locality, viz. Cidaris metularia, Tripneustes angulosus (t= gratis/a) and Echinoneus cyclostomus, 

 and one can scarcely suppress a doubt, whether they are not really Cidaris tribuloides, Tripn. esculentus and Echinoneus 



