254 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
white (Jamaica). like the following species, it is usually found on sandy bottom and often covers 
itself with bits of seaweed and other debris. The collection contains 28 specimens, the smallest of 
which is only 4 nun. in diameter. They were collected at Ponce, Arroyo, Boqueron Bay, San Juan, 
Catano, and Hucares. The color varies considerably, but is usually green and white. The spines are 
often tipped with reddish, and the specimen from Hucares has the spines rose pink. 
8. Hipponoe esculenta ( Leske) . 
A very large urchin, sometimes 150 mm. in diameter. Adults are easily recognized by their 
white color and great size, but the young are not readily distinguished from those of the preceding 
species. Occurs from Bermuda to Surinam. The eggs are sometimes used for food. From Porto 
Rico there are fifteen of these large urchins, besides several fragments. Several of them measure 140 
mm. in diameter and 95 mm. high, while the smallest is only 19 mm. in diameter. They were collected 
at Ponce, Arroyo, Aguadilla, and Guanica Bay. 
9. Echinanthus rosaceus (Linnaeus). 
In life this species is reddish, yellowish, or greenish brown in color. It reaches a length of 140 
mm., and the height is from one-third to nearly one-half the length. It occurs in the sand, often under 
stones and in very shallow water, and is found from South Carolina to Guadeloupe. Only one 
example of this species in the collection, a fair-sized specimen from Fajardo. 
10. Mellita sexforis (Lamarck). 
This very flat and thin “keyhole urchin ” is usually light olive-green (rarely brown) when alive. 
It reaches a diameter of 70 or 80 mm., and is found on sandy bottoms in shallow water, from South 
Carolina and Bermuda southward throughout the West Indies. One large specimen, 74 by 72 mm., 
from Arroyo, and four smaller ones from station 6085. The color of all these is pale olive-green. 
11. Mellita testudinata Klein. 
This “keyhole urchin” is slightly larger and thicker than the preceding, but of the same color 
and habits. It has a wider range, having been found from Nantucket to Brazil. The Fish Hawk 
collection contains 10 specimens, varying in size from one 3 mm. in diameter to one 80 mm. broad by 
70 mm. long. The color varies from light to dark green. The specimens less than 12 mm. in diameter 
show very nicely the formation of the lunules. In the smallest specimen no lunules are visible from 
above, but on the oral surface, in the posterior interambulacrum, there is a little depression which 
marks the position of the first lunule. The specimen 12 mm. in diameter has this lunule fully 
formed, while the other four lunules appear simply as notches in the edge of the test. Found at 
Ponce, Arroyo, Mayaguez, Puerto Real, and station 6053. 
12. Brissopsis lyrifera Agassiz. 
This spatangoid is usually found only in deepwater, rarely in less than 10 fathoms. It can not be 
confused with the following. It is found not only throughout the West Indies, but in the eastern 
Atlantic also, from Norway to the Mediterranean. There are 3 specimens of this form from station 
6059, the largest of which measures 40 by 33 mm. The color is light yellowish brown. The fascicle 
connecting the subanal with the peripetalous fasciole is not complete and is only distinct close to the 
subanal. These specimens thus resemble European examples of the species more closely than they 
do those from Florida. 
13. Palseopneustes hystrix A. Agassiz. 
This rare form, occurring only in deep water, is not likely to be met with. I ts size (125 by 90 mm. ) 
and color are sufficient to distinguish it from the preceding species, but an additional character is to be 
found in the broad, spatulate ends of the long, spines. It is known only from the Caribbean Sea. 
Of this remarkable spatangoid the collection contains one whole specimen, half of a second, and 
fragments of others, all from station 6070. The specimens measure about 125 mm. long by 90 broad 
by 55 high; color dark purplish red; spines somew'hat lighter. 
