114 PROF. A. DENDY AND ME. E. HINDLE : ADDITIONS TO 



single specimen on the New Brighton Beach (near Christchurch, New 

 Zealand), bj Mr. Henry Suter in 1896. This was described by one o£ us at 

 the time, but as it was preserved in formalin, which frequently has a solvent 

 action on calcareous spicules, it was considered inadvisable to pubhsh. 

 Subsequently however, in December 1898, the species was again found by 

 one of us at Kaikoura, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, 

 where it occurs in large numbers under stones between tide-marks. Again 

 in 1901 a considerable number of specimens were found by one of us living 

 under rocks or in pools on the shore at Ouenga, in the Chatham Islands. 

 It is therefore evidently a common species in the localities where it occurs, 

 but its distribution would appear to be very sporadic. 



External characters.— The living animal is of a pale pinkish-brown colour, 

 very transparent. The surface is beset with numerous minute papillae (sense- 

 papillse), which give it a finely granulated appearance. These papillse are 

 especially abundant at the anterior end. 



A specimen from Kaikoura in life measured about 5 cms. in length, but 

 after preservation in alcohol only 2-9 cms. The largest specimen in the 

 collection measures (in spirit) 4-75 cms. in length, 0*55 cm. in transverse 

 diameter at the anterior and 0-40 cm. at the posterior end ; so that the living- 

 animal may probably attain a length of at least 8 cms.* 



In spirit-specimens the body is elongated, cylindrical and vermiform, with 

 a slight spiral twist ; it is slightly expanded at the anterior and tapers 

 towards the posterior end. The surface is slightly wrinkled transversely 

 throughout most of its length, but at the anterior end this wrinkling is very 

 inconspicuous (fig. 1). The integument is Yevy thin and transparent, 

 especially at the anterior end, showing the longitudinal and circular bands of 

 muscle, the latter being very feebly developed in the more thin-walled 

 anterior portion. Tube-feet are entirely absent. The mouth is a circular 

 aperture at the anterior extremity, and is surrounded by a circle of ten 

 outwardly-curving tentacles, of equal size, about 2-3 mm. in length (fig. 17). 

 Each tentacle gives off twelve pinnately arranged branches, which increase 

 gradually in length from 0-3 mm. at the base, up to 1-4 mm. at the apex of 

 the tentacle. Each branch in the present retracted condition is strongly 

 curved towards the posterior end of the body and its concave surface is 

 deeply wrinkled, even slightly lobate, transversely, as shown in fig. 17. Tlie 

 anus is usually conspicuous as a wide pentagonal opening, surrounded by a 

 raised lip, at the posterior extremity. The genital pore is situated between 

 the bases of the two dorsal tentacles and internal to them. 



A very noticeable feature of this animal is its tendency to break up into 



* Ludwig gives the dimensions of spirit-specimens of Hhabdomolr/us ruber as only 5 mm. 

 long and 0-6 mm. thick. Keferstein's original specimen was 10 mm. long, presumably in 

 life. 



