OUR KNOWLEDGE OF NEW ZEALAND HOLOTHURIANS. 103 



heading o£ P. longidentis, for the characters which Perrier considers peculiar 

 to the former are of very minor importance from a taxonomic point of view. 

 The difference in shape probably depends to a large extent on the state of 

 contraction, and is a very iincertain character. The difference in the 

 arrangement of the tube-feet is very slight and can be explained by the 

 assumption that Perrier's example was a young specimen, and therefore had 

 not developed as many tube-feet as the adult animal. 



As to the supposed distinction between two kinds of perforated plates, we 

 cannot find any difference in this respect between our specimens of P. longi- 

 dentis and Perrier^s P. anatinus, and, moreover, the supposed difference is in 

 itself so slight as to be of no specific importance. In fact differences in 

 the size of perforations of the kind figured by Perrier were also figured by 

 one of us in P. longidentis many years ago (loc. cit.). 



We are no longer able to refer to Hutton^s type slide, but in the specimen 

 from the Dunedin Museum, referred to in Dendy's earlier paper^ we find 

 several reticulate plates without spines, as figured by Perrier for his P. anatinus, 

 and such also occur in both our specimens. Perrier was unable to open his 

 specimen, but as the animal had been cleared in cedar-wood oil he was able to 

 state that the calcareous ring has a complicated structure, very analogous to 

 that of P. longidentis. 



Phyllophoeus deaematus, sp. n. (Plate 11. figs. 7, 8 ; Plate 12. 

 fig. 15 : Plate 13. fig. 20.) 



A single specimen of this species was obtained by Mr. H. Suter in Akaroa 

 Harbour at a depth of six fathoms. 



The body of the animal, as preserved in spirit, is roughly cylindrical, 

 tapering at both ends (PI. 11. fig. 7). Its length is 6 cms. and its greatest 

 transverse diameter is 2*05 cms. The anterior part of the body forms an 

 introvert which bears the ring of tentacles at its extremity ; in the specimen 

 before us it is retracted, with the result that the tentacles are directed back- 

 wards and occupy the spacious pharynx. 



The body bears numerous small, but well-developed tube-feet, \\hich are 

 abundantly scattered over both radial and inter-radial areas ; towards the 

 extremities they are less numerous and their radial arrangement is more 

 obvious. The tube-feet are more abundant on the ventral than on the dorsal 

 surface. 



The mouth is a circular aperture situated at the end of the introvert. It 

 is surrounded by a circle of twenty tentacles which are arranged in two series, 

 five pairs of large tentacles externally, alternating with five pairs of small 

 tentacles internal to them. The larger tentacles are arboriform, about 1-65 cms. 

 long, and bear comparatively few branches. On tho stem and branches of 

 these larger tentacles are deep red-brown spots, which have retained their 



