10 



JAMES A. GRIEG 



[REP. OF THE "MICHAEL" SARS NORTH 



Benthodytes gigantea is known only from the north- 

 eastern coast of North America. The "Albatross" found 

 it in a number of localities, very numerous in some of 

 them, off the coast of New England at a depth of 1691 

 to 3720 m. According to the explorations of the 

 ''Michael Sars" the bathymetrical distribution will be 

 1100—3720 m. 



Fig. 7. 

 Calcareous deposits from the tentacles of Benthodytes gigantea Verr. 



Benthodytes typica Theel. 

 (PI. 3 fig. 6, 7). 



Benthodytes typica Theel, Holothurioidea 1, Rep. Sci. Res. 

 "Challenger" Zool., vol. 4 part 13, 1881, p. 103, tab. 27 fig. 7, tab. 

 35 fig. 4, tab. 38 fig. 5. 



8 /e. Stat. 53, 34= 59' W., 33 : 1' W., 2615—2865 m., yellow 

 hard clayey mud. One specimen, whose dimensions were as follows; 

 length 94 mm., breadth in front 21 mm., in the middle 39 mm., 

 behind 32 mm. 



As may be seen from pi. 3 figs. 6 & 7 the animal 

 has an elongated body with a greatest breadth of about 

 40 per cent of its length. It was rounded in front and 

 straight cut behind with an incision at the anus. I ought 

 to mention that the animal was slightly mutilated a little 

 below the mouth. It is therefore possible that it had 

 been much contracted, whereby the border between fore- 

 part and body had become a little too distinct. The 

 brim was narrow in front, but broad along the sides of 

 the body. 



^ 



Fig. 8. Spicules from the body of Benthodytes typica Th6el. 



There were 20 tentacles. The middle ambulacrum 

 of the trivium had about 30 papilla; in each row. The 

 dorsal ambulacra have each 5 or possibly 6 small papillae. 

 The body was scantily covered with thorny calcareous 

 rods (fig. 8). The rods of the ventral surface seem also 

 a little more thorny. 



The colour of the fore part was a deep, dark violet 

 which extended a little over on the dorsal surface of the 

 body. The middle part of the trivium, as well as the 

 canals connected with the ambulacral systems, were of the 

 same colour, which in the case of the canals, could be 

 distinctly seen through the brim. The dorsal surface was 

 bluish transparent. The disc of the tentacles was yellowish 

 brown. 



The specimen contained well developed eggs, with 

 a diameter of 1.3 mm. 



The specimen agreed in most of its characteristic with 

 Benthodytes typica but differed from it in the form. The 

 typical B. typica is oval, while the specimen in question 

 was elongated. This difference may however be due to 

 preservation or other accidental circumstance. More- 

 over the present specimen had 5, or possibly 6, papillae 

 in each of the dorsal ambulacra while Theel's species 

 is said to have "about eight". The papillae are so 

 small, however, as to be easily overlooked. I there- 

 fore do not attach much importance to this difference and 

 refer the specimen to B. typica as it agreed in all other 

 characteristics with that species, as already stated. 



Bentodytes typica was taken by the "Challenger" off 

 Gibraltar (Stat. 5, 35° 47' N., 8° 23' W., 1995 m., temp. 

 3.1° Cel.). Afterwards it was taken by the "Hirondelle" 

 off the Azores at 2870 m. Furthermore Theel 1 ) records it, 

 though doubtfully, from the West Indies and the Gulf 

 of Mexico, 1885—3514 m. Its horizontal distribution on 

 the East Atlantic side is from 34° 59' to 41° 40' 41" N., 

 on the West Atlantic from about 15° to 24° 33' N. 



Benthodytes glutinosa R. Perrier. 

 (PI. 3, figs. 1 & 2). 



Benthodytes glutinosa R. Perrier, Comptes Rendus de l'Acad. 

 des Sci., tome 123, 1896, p. 903. 



ls /5. Stat. 35, 27° 27' N., 14° 52' W., 2603 m., yellow mud. 

 One specimen, 62 mm. long. 21 mm. broad. A coloured drawing of 

 the specimen preserved in formol is given on pi. 3, figs. 1 & 2 



2i h. Stat. 92, 48° 29' N., 13° 55' W., 2000 m. wire. One very 

 young specimen, 13 mm. long, 4.5 mm. broad. 



The structure of this species, like the others of the 

 genus Benthodytes, shows that it is a natatory animal. 

 The young specimen from stat. 92 gives a further proof 

 of this. It was taken in the next to the lowest gear, a 

 young fish trawl set with 2000 m. wire, consequently at 

 a depth of about 1400 m. The lowermost gear was set 

 with 3000 m. wire or a depth of about 2000 m. 2 ) There 



i). Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 13, no. 1, 1886, p. 2. 



2 ). In accordance with my statement in "Brachiopoda, Lamelli- 

 branchiata etc." (This rep., vol. 3, part. 2, p. 5). I have estimated 

 the depth at -k of the length of the wire (cfr. Brinkmann: Pelagic 

 Nemerteans, this rep. vol. 3, part. 2, pag. 10.) 



