30 



JAMES A. GRIEG 



[REP. OF THE "MICHAEL SARS" NORTH 



The "Michael Sars" specimens agree most closely 

 with Hymenaster rex Perrier among the North Atlantic 

 species of Hymenaster, but differ from that species by 

 the presence of three primary papillae in the mouth-plates, 

 while typical Hymenaster rex has four, which was, how- 

 ever, found also in one mouth-plate of the largest spec- 

 imen. Judging from Perriers drawing, the secondary mouth- 

 papillae are situted very close to the suture of the plates 1 ); 

 in the specimens under discussion they are placed nearer 

 the centre of the plates. The valves around the osculum 

 bear 10 — 12 spines, while Hymenaster rex has 14. 'Jud- 

 ging from H. pellucidus of which numerous specimens 

 were at my disposal, these characteristics seem to be 

 subject to variations. Notwithstanding the divergencies 

 from typical Hymenaster rex, I refer the specimens to 

 that species. 



Hymenaster rex is an east Atlantic species, previously 

 found only by the "Talisman" at three stations off the 

 west coast of Africa between 23° 50' and 46° 4' N. and 

 between 6° 46' and 19° 37'W., 1139— 2285m. The "Mi- 

 chael Sars" station also lies within these limits. 



Echinaster sepositus Gray. 

 Rhopia seposita Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. 6, 1840, p. 282. 

 26 /5, stat. 37, 26° 6' N. 14°33'W., 39 in., shingle, temp. 15.6° Cel. 

 One specimen, arm-radius 77 mm., disc-radius 12 mm. 



Echinaster sepositus is an east Atlantic species, rang- 

 ing north to Bretagne (Roscoff) south to the Cape Verde 

 Is. It occurs besides in the Adriatic and the western part 

 of the Mediterranean. Bathymetrical distribution 1 — 1060 m. 



Cribrella abyssalis Ed. Perrier. 

 Cribrella abyssalis Ed. Perrier, Echinodermes, Exp. Sei. du "Travail- 

 leur" et du "Talisman", 1894, p. 144, tab. 11, fig. 1. 

 23 /s, stat. 41, 28° 8' N. 13°35'W., 1365 in., yellow mud, temp. 

 6° Cel. One larger, not very well preserved, specimen. 



Cribrella abyssalis was first taken by the "Talisman" 

 off the west coast of Morocco, 1105 — 1635 m. It was 

 later found in adjacent waters by the Prince of Monaco, 

 1470—2165 m. According to the discovery of the "Mi- 

 chael Sars" its horizontal range is between 28° 8' and 

 38° 47' N. and between 7° 55' 45" and 28°4'5"W. The 

 bathymetrical distribution is 1105 — 2165 m. 



Brisingella coronata G. O. Sars. 

 Brisinga coronata G. O. Sars, Christiania Vidensk. Selsk. Forhandl., 



1871, p. 5. 



5 /s, stat. 21, 35° 31' N. 6° 35' W., 535 m., yellow mud, temp. 

 11.52 m. A defect specimen with 10 arms, whose disc-diameter was 

 18.5 mm., length of arm 177 mm. 



6 / 8 — Vs, stat. 101, 57° 31' N. 11° 48' W., 1843 m., hard clay, temp. 

 3.3° Cel. A fragment of an arm. 



l ) Ed. Perrier : Echinodermes, Exp. Sci. du "Travailleur" et du 

 "Talisman", 1884, p. 186, tab. 13, fig. 2. 



As regards the nomenclature of this species I have 

 followed Fisher in "New Genera and Species of Bris- 

 ingidae" 1 ). 



Brisingella coronata is an east Atlantic species which 

 was first recorded by G. O. Sars from Skraaven, Lofoten, 

 376 — 564 m. It was later found in the Foldenfjord, 530 m., 

 the Tronhjemsfjord, 376—564 m. and the Sognefjord, 130 

 1229 m., bottom temperature 6.3 to 6.7°. The temperature 

 was hardly below 8°, however, at the smallest depths in 

 the Sognefjord. It was further found by the Prince of 

 Monaco off Vego (1899, stat. 1052, 65° 41' N. 9° 30' 15" E., 

 440 m.) 



In the Atlantic Brisingella coronata ranges from the 

 Hebrides to the Cape Verde Is., 366 — 2330 m. According 

 to Sladen the bottom temperature was 6.4 to 11° at the 

 localities, where the "Porcupine" obtained the species. 

 Records of temperature are wanting from the other sta- 

 tions. In the Mediterranean it was found in the western 

 as well as in the eastern part, where it ranges as far as 

 Samos and Samothrace. It occurs besides in the southern 

 part of the Adriatic. The bathymetrical distribution in 

 the Mediterranean is 100 to 2660 m. The "Pola" found 

 a bottom temperature of 12.9 to 14.4° in the eastern part 

 of the Mediterranean, but records are wanting from the 

 two least depths (129 m. and 218 m.), at which it was 

 taken by that vessel. 



Brisingella coronata appears therefore to be a typical 

 warm-water species. Its range is restricted to localities 

 with a bottom-temperature of not less than 3.3°, its prin- 

 cipal distribution, however, apparently occurring in waters 

 with a bottom-temperature of not less than 6.3° 



Freyella sexradiata Ed. Perrier. 



Freyella sexradiata Ed. Perrier, Comptes Rendus de l'Acad. des Sci., 

 Tome 101, 1885, p. 442. 



1!) /4, stat. 10, 45° 26' N. 9° 20' W., 4700 m., yellow mud, temp. 

 2.56° Cel. Four defect specimens as well as fragments of several 

 arms. 



Disc-diameter 9 mm. 10 mm. 11 mm. 11 mm. 



Breath of arms at base 4 „ 3.5 „ 3.5 , 4 „ 



Greatest breadth of ovarial en 

 largement 7.5 „ 5 „ 5.5 , 6.5 „ 



The smallest specimen has only five arms, the others 

 six. Koehler also found that this species may have 5 

 arms 2 ). 



This species like Freyella spinosa has two gonads 

 in each arm and they are similarly arranged in both 

 species. Freyella sexradiata thus belongs to the genus 

 Freyellidea, so named by Fisher in his revision of the 



1) Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8 vol. 20, 1917, p. 423 & 427. 



2 ) Koehler: Echinodermes, Res. Camp, Sci. Monaco, Fasc. 34, 

 1909, p. 129. 



