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The Atoll of Funafuti, Ellice group : its zoology, botany, ethnology and general structure based on collections made by Charles Hedley of the Australian Museum, Sydney, N.S.W.

Holothuroidea

Holothuroidea.

Muelleria echinites, Jaeger.

Muelleria echinites, Jaeger, De Holoth., 1883, pp. 17-18, pl. iii., fig. 6; Semper, Reisen Arch. Phil. Holoth., 1868, p. 76, pi. xxx., fig. 8.

One specimen obtained at low water line on the outer reef-Native name, "Punafuna."

page 161

Holothuria argus, Jaeger.

Holothuria argus, Jaeger, DeHoloth., 1833, p. 19, pl. ii., fig. 1; Semper, Reisen Arch. Phil. Holoth., 1868, p. 80, pl. xxx., fig. 11; Saville Kent, Great Barrier Reef, p. 56, p. 238, pl. xii., fig. 7.

One example, found on a sandy bottom in the lagoon, where it was fairly common.

Holothuria atra, Jaeger.

Holothuria atra, Jaeger, DeHoloth., 1833, p. 22; Semper, Reisen Arch. Phil. Holoth., 1868, p. 88, pl. xxvi.; Theel, Ohall. Rep., Zool., xiv., p. 181, pl. vii., fig. 4.

Four specimens; very abundant on the outer reefs.

Native name, "Malorli."

Holothuria vagabunda, Selenka.

Holothuria vagabunda, Selenka, Beiträge Anat. Syst. Holoth., Zeits. f. Wiss. Zool., xvii., 1867, p. 334, pl. xix., figs. 75-76; Semper, Reisen Arch. Phil. Holoth., 1868, p. 88, pl. xxi.; Lampert in Semper's Reisen Arch. Phil., iv., p. 71, pl. i., figs. 3-19.

Two specimens, obtained in the mangrove swamps under stones at low tide.

Holothuria pardalis, Selenka.

Holothuria pardalis, Selenka, Beitrage, Anat. Syst. Holoth. Zeits. f. Wiss. Zool., xvii., 1867, p. 336, pl. xix., fig. 85; Semper, Reisen Arch. Phil. Holoth., 1868, p. 87, pl. xxx., fig. 31.

Four specimens, obtained in the mangrove swamps.

Holothuria imitans, Ludwig.

Holothuria imitans, Ludwig, Arb. Zool. Zoot. Inst. Wurzburg, ii., 1875, p. 109, pl. vii., fig. 41; Lampert in Semper's Reisen Arch. Phil., iv., p. 80.

With some hesitation I refer to this species five small specimens, which agree in the main with the descriptions given by Ludwig, Lampert, and Théel.

The tentacles are twenty in number, the colour is dark brown, the deposits consist of curved bars and tables. The bars appear to be confined to the ambulacral appendages and to the tentacles; page 162in the former the bars have processes on each side which often join, forming a series of more or less complete holes; in the latter the bars are strongly curved, and have very small processes along the convex edges and ends only the concave side is smooth. The tables have the smaller four toothed ends pointed outwards towards the skin, the inner and very much larger ends have eight teeth or rather four pairs, each pair being closer together than the space separating them; these teeth are often dilated and denticulate at the ends.