THE EUROPEAN SEAS. 



149 



Of the forty species noticed by Ed. Forbes as 

 British, nine at least may be commonly met with 

 throughout the whole extent of the Mediterranean, 

 such as Comatula rosacea, *Ophiura lacertosa, Ophio- 

 coma scolopendroides, Palmipes memhranaceus, *As- 

 terina gihhosa (minuta), *Asterias aurantiaca, with 

 its numerous varieties, Echinus lividus, Spatangus 

 purpureus, Ecliinocyamus pusillus. To these, accord- 

 ing to Grube, may be added that most singular in 

 its aspect of all Echinoderms, Astrophyton scutatum. 



These forms, in common with all the British spe- 

 cies, have a considerable northern range, whilst in 

 the contrary direction they extend through the Lu- 

 sitanian zone, some even as far as the Canaries, 

 where those species marked by an asterisk also 

 occur. The European star-fishes, therefore, " do not 

 seem so local in their distribution as the Mollusca 

 and the higher classes of animals." 



Taking only the common well-known and well- 

 defined Mediterranean Echinoderms, it will be found 

 that they are also Atlantic. Echinus esculentus, 

 which does not reach our seas, is common along 

 the west coasts of Spain and Portugal, as also on 

 those of West Africa and the Canaries. Such, like- 

 wise, is the case with Asterias tenuispina, Ophidias- 

 ter ophidianus, 0. granifer, and Brissus ventricosus. 

 In some instances extreme zones of the Atlantic 

 have forms in common, which, so far as we yet 

 know, are wanting in the intermediate space ; such 

 is the great Stellonia glacialis, which is found in the 



