22 PE,OF. A. DENDT ON THE 



Observations on the Holotliurians of New Zealand ; witb 

 Descriptions o£ four New Species, and an Appendix on 

 the Development of the "Wheels in Chirodota. By Abthtjk 

 Denbt, D.Sc, E.L.S., Professor of Biology in the Canter- 

 bury College, University of New Zealand. 



[Eead 5th November, 1896.] 

 (Plates 3-7.) 



1. Inteoductoet Eem:arks. 



My attention was first directed to the subject of this communi- 

 cation shortly after my arrival in New Zealand, by the receipt of 

 a remarkable specimen collected on the New Brighton (Christ- 

 church) beach by Mr. E. M. Laing, M.A. I shortly afterwards 

 received a second specimen of the same species from Mr. J. P. 

 Grossmann, M.A., of which. I made a detailed anatomical examina- 

 tion. The species proved to be a new Colochirus, covered with, 

 overlapping scales, and is described in the context as GolocJiirus 

 ocnoides. 



Early in the course of this investigation, I was greatly 

 struck with, the inadequacy of our knowledge of the New 

 Zealand Holothurians, and especially with the remarks to that 

 effect made by Theel in his ' Challenger ' Eeport. 



I therefore determined to attempt a revision of the group, and 

 proceeded to "Wellington with a view to examining the type 

 specimens in the Colonial Museum. Thanks to the kindness of 

 Sir James Hector, I was enabled to do this, so far as the present 

 condition of the specimens allowed. I found there specimens, 

 apparently the original types, of " Synapta uncinata^'' " Synapta 

 incdqualis^'' " Molpadia coriacea^^ " Chirodota ? alba,'' " Thyone 

 hrevidentis," and " Thyone lonyidentis," described by Hutton in 

 1872 in his ' Catalogue of the Echinodermata of New Zealand.' 



I unfortunately found these specimens iu a very bad state of 

 preservation, owing to the short-handedness of the Museum staff, 

 but they were still of the greatest service in determining questions 

 of synonymy. 



Captain Hutton himself very kindly placed at my disposal 

 type-slides of the spicules of his " Molpadia coriacea," " Chirodota 

 alha,'' " Thyone caudata" and " Holothuria mollis," all marked 

 " "Wellington." 



I also applied to Professor T. J. Parker for material from the 



