THE PELAGIC FAUNA OF THE MALDIVES. 155 



THE PELAGIC FAUNA OF THE MALDIVES. 



A KUMBER of pelagic hauls were made in the atolls, and a few deep 

 intermediate hauls off the principal passes into them. 



We usually towed in the evening from the ship, while at anchor. Off 

 Male Island we collected five or six species of Copepods, Atlanta, Styliola, 

 Hj'alea, and other Pteropods.* Small Salpae with blue nucleus, Sagittae, 

 Sapphirina, Hyperids, Collozoum, bells of Siphonophores, Diphyes, young 

 Fishes, Thrichodesmium, Sergestes, Autolytus, Oceaniae, and Crustacean 

 larvae. From another haul, with a strong current from the east coming 

 through the southeast pass, we obtained many Sagittae, Sapphirina, Hyalea, 

 and other Pteropods, Sergestes, sundry Macruran larvae. Worm larvae, Salpae, 

 Aurelia, Geryonia, Ephyra, probably the Ephyra of the Aurelia so common 

 in the Maldives, and which we also saw on our way from Colombo to Aden, 

 two species of Diphyes, and many young Fishes. 



From a surface haul while at anchor off Kagi, northern extremity of 

 North Male, we obtained a few swimming Trematods, Sagittae, Pteropods, 

 among them a Tiedemannia, masses of a very large species of Copepod, 

 Crustacean larvae, both Macrurans and Brachiurans, Sergestes, Thrichodes- 

 mium, Geryonia, and Aglaura. 



From a surface haul at our anchorage off Ariadu we obtained only a 

 few Copepods and larvae of Macrurans and Brachiurans, Thrichodesmium 

 and many pelagic Algae. 



In a surface haul off Turadu (South Malosmadulu), we obtained many 

 Sagittae, small Crustacean larvae, Sergestes, Styliola, two species of 

 Cunina, Eutima, Oceania, Thrichodesmium, Collozoum, and two species 

 of Diphyes. 



1 The abundance of Pteropods in all the tows is very marked, and probably accounts for the Ptero- 

 pod ooze found in the atolls of the Maldives. 



