BERMUDA ECHINODERMS. ]29 



smaller plates. The miliary granules (Fig. 7) are very rumer- 

 ous and are not confined to the longitudinal muscles, nor to 

 special patches, but are pretty uniformly distributed over the 

 body. They are nearly all more or less C-shaped and measure 

 about 22 [J. long, those near the posterior end of the body (Fig. 

 8) being a trifle the largest. In the tentacles and their digits,, 

 are numerous rather irregular supporting rods, which have a 

 tendency towards an elongated C-shape (Fig. 9). The surface 

 of the body is very rough ar.d prickly in all the specimens ow- 

 ing to the prominence of the projecting anchors. For this 

 reason, I have selected the name for this new species, Synapta 

 acanthia. (Plate IV.) 



The exact relation of this synapta to previously known 

 species is somewhat obscure. In the presence of two very dis- 

 tinct sorts of anchors, it approaches iiinoniinata and bankensis, 

 two species described by Ludwig, from fragments from the other 

 side of the globe. But the difference in the plates are so great, 

 it is clear there can be no close resemblance to those forms. 

 The new species will not fit into any of the five genera into 

 which Ostergen ^ has recently divided the genus Synapta, so 

 that it must either be made the type of a new genus or else some 

 one of his five genera will have to be modified for its reception. 

 It approaches most nearly to Synapta s. str., from which it dif- 

 fers in the presence of two distinct sorts of anchors and plates 

 and in the larger number of Polian vesicles, but the definition 

 of the genus can be slightly modified to receive it and for the 

 present it may remain there. It is certainly allied to vS. inJicerens 

 which it superficially resembles quite closely. 



In conclusion it seems desirable to add a revised list of the 

 echinoderms of Bermuda with the important and, so far as pos- 

 sible, external and obvious, characteristics which distinguish 

 each one. This is done to assist future students and visitors to 

 the Bermudas to identify readily the species they collect and so 

 to encourage such collecting. But it should be borne in mind 

 that such brief descriptions are necessarily not exclusive, and 

 will not distinguish closely allied species. Specimens not an- 

 swering clearly to these definitions should be carefully preserved 

 for further examination. 



