282 



also rotifera and pisanii have the three ventral radiais different from 

 the two dorsal ones, and at any rate the mid-ventral one is distinctly 

 notched in the margin. Of SI ui ter' s figure (Die Evertebraten . . . . 

 Batavia. Pl. II fig. 45) it is seen that liberata had at any case 

 some of the radiais notched, and if the number of interradiais be 

 normal, the figure furthermore shows that all five radiais were 

 notched. At any rate the notched margin may be a valid character 



Fig'. 55. Ciliated funnels, calcareous ring and madreporite of Chiridola 

 lœvis 1—4 and Chiridota discolor 5. 1 -2 & 6—5 X 36; 3 X 36. 



for separating both liberata and hawaiiensis from rigida Semper, 

 which latter species, according to Semper's figure Pl. V fig. 13, 

 has the ventral radiais perforated. 



Other characters which in some cases are of the greatest value 

 for the identification of the species, are: the shape of the intestine, 

 the shape of the gonads and the viviparity or oviparity. 



In "The Echinoderms from the Torres Strait" Clark writes 

 that the genus Chiridota is a "perplexing genus". This only applies 

 to the older descriptions, which, for the larger part, are rather un- 

 satisfactory. The genus itself is not at all more perplexing than 

 any other genus of the Synaptidae, and as the ciliated funnels are 

 so characteristic of the species, we may hope that a reexamination 

 of the type-specimens within this genus will give better results 



