NATURE 



[Jl'lv 14, 1910 



i'HE MARINE FAUNA OF JAPAN. 



Bcitriigi; ;iir Naturgeschichte Ostasiens. Edited by 

 Dr. F. Dofiein. Japanische Alcyonaceen. By Prof. 

 \V. Kiikenthal. Pp. 86 + Tafel v. Price 4 marks. 

 Japanische Gorgoniden. Tail i. Die Familien der 

 Primnoideh, Muriceiden, und .\canthogorgiiden. By 

 Prof. W. Kulcenthal and H. Gorzawsky. Pp. 71 + 

 Tafel iv. Price 3.60 marks. Japanische gorgon- 

 iden. Teil ii. Die Familien der Plexauriden 

 Chrysogorgiiden und Melitodiden. By Prof. W. 

 Kiikenthal. Pp. 78 + Tafel vii. Price 6 marks. 

 Hydroidpolypen der japanische Ostkiiste. Teil i. 

 Athecata und Plumularidas. By E. Stechow. Pp. 

 109 + Tafel vii. Price 5 marks. Japanische Anti- 

 patharien. By E. Silberfeld. Pp. 30 + Tafel ii. 

 Price 2.50 marks. Japanische Medusen. By O. 

 Maas. Pp. 52+Tafel iii. Price 4 marks. Japan- 

 ische Actinien. By Dr. A. Wassilieff. Pp. 52 + 

 Tafel ix. Price 2.70 marks. Japanische Cteno- 

 phoren. By Dr. Fanny Moser. Pp. 77 + Tafel ii. 

 Price 5 marks. Uber japanische Seewalzen. By 

 E. Augustin. Pp. 44 + Tafel ii. Price 3 marks. 

 (.Miinchen : K. B. Akademie der Wissenschaften, 

 G. Franz'schen Verlags, J. Roth, 1906-9.) 

 T T has been known for some time to zoologists that 

 -L the southern coasts of Japan possess a very rich 

 and varied marine fauna. The Challenger expedi- 

 tion gave us some indication of it, and various special 

 memoirs by Japanese writers that have appeared in 

 recent years have served to maintain and stimulate our 

 interest in it. But the nine memoirs dealing with the 

 collections made by Dr. F. Dofiein in the Sagami 

 and Sendai bays during the years 1904-5 bring home 

 to us with great effect the amazing wealth with which 

 our Japanese friends are favoured in respect of their 

 submarine zoological treasures. 



Dr. Dofiein is a fortunate, and also undoubtedly 

 a skilful, collector, for he has not only obtained 

 a very large quantity of material, and succeeded in 

 bringing it home in an excellent state of preservation, 

 but he has been able to enlist the services of a number 

 of eminent zoologists with special knowledge of the 

 various groups, and to publish these memoirs in 

 sumptuous style. Judging from the series already 

 published, there can be little doubt that the results 

 of Dr. Dofiein 's expedition will form a very important 

 contribution to our knowledge of the systematic 

 zoology of the Japanese waters. 



For the three memoirs on .Mcyonaria, Prof. Kiiken- 

 thal, of Breslau, is very largely responsible, and those 

 who are interested in this- group of Coelenterata will 

 find in them descriptions of a large number of new- 

 species, profusely illustrated by coloured plates and 

 photographs. Prof. Kukenthal is so well known as a 

 leading authority on the Alcyonaria that it is hardly 

 necessary to remark that his elaborate descriptions of 

 the new species and his profound knowledge of the 

 history and literature of the group give his contribu- 

 tions to the series a very high position. But although 

 there is a great deal that is new in these three 

 memoirs, there is no new genus that strikes us as 

 benig p.irticularly interesting or important. Among 

 NU. 2 I 24, VOL. 84] 



the Alcyonacea, the genus Spongodes (which has been 

 re-named Dendronephthya by the author) is repre- 

 sented by fifteen species, of which six are new to 

 science, and Nidalia by seven species, of which five 

 are new. The genu&Alcyonium, on the other hand, is 

 represented by only one species, which is described 

 under the new specific name of AlcyoiiiiiDi gracilli- 

 miim. A new species of Siphonogorgia having been 

 found in Sagami bay, the author takes the opportunity 

 of giving us a very valuable summary of the characters 

 of all the known species of the genus, including in 

 the list the species formerly separated under this 

 generic name Chironephthya. 



The title "Japanische Gorgoniden" given to the 

 other two memoirs on Alcyonaria is rather misleading, 

 as the family Gorgonidae has not yet been dealt with ; 

 but it is nevertheless in the suborder Gorgonacea rather 

 than in the Alcyonacea that "the richness of the 

 Japanese fauna is so pronounced. The genera 

 Chrysogorgia, Melitodes, and Plumarella appear to be 

 particularly well represented, and in the family 

 Plexauridae two new genera, Anthoplexaura and Para- 

 plexaura, are described, as well as several new species 

 of the older genus Euplexaura. 



The memoir on the hydroid polyps by Stechow 

 is in some respects the most remarkable and 

 valuable of the series, and special attention 

 may be directed to the interesting introductory 

 statement, and particularly to his valuable 

 tabular scheme of the classification of the hydrozoa. 

 Manv previous attempts have been made to bring, 

 into one system the hydroid and medusoid forms be- 

 longing to this class. On careful analysis and con- 

 sideration, this system will probably be found by 

 systematists to be the best that has yet been sug- 

 gested. Of the many interesting hydroids that are 

 described in this memoir, the most remarkable is the 

 one to which the new generic name Hydrichthella is 

 given. It was found epizoic on the new alcyonarian 

 .\nthoplexaura described by Kiikenthal. It is a curious 

 coincidence in zoology that the only other example of 

 a hydroid epizoic upon an alcyonarian was also de- 

 scribed last year. On January 30, 1909, a paprjr 

 by Miss W. Coward was read before the Koninklijke 

 .-Vkad. van Wetenschappen of Amsterdam on a new 

 hydroid (Ptilocodium) epizoic on specimens of the 

 genus Ptilosarcus collected by the Siboga expedition. 

 In the same year Stechow described the genus 

 Hydrichthella on Anthoplexaura. There can be little 

 doubt that the two genera are very closely related, 

 but it is more than probable that it will be found 

 advisable to join them in one generic group. If this 

 be done the question of priority will arise, and the 

 name will be Ptilocodium or Hydrichthella according 

 to the publication of Stechow 's memoir before or after 

 January 30. 



The genus Dendrocoryne of Inaba found in 

 Japanese waters has created some special interest of 

 recent years owing to its relationship to the genus 

 Ceratella, that occurs in Australian waters, on the 

 east coast of Africa, off Hawaii, and elsewhere. The 

 points of difference between Dendrocoryne and Cera- 

 tella do not appear to some authors sulficientlv im- 



