Report on the zoological collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean ...

328 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA.number of stations dredged and searched in the north-eastern district,together with the known ability of the distinguished collector,Dr. 11. W. Coppinger, give an assurance that from shallow water inthis quarter but few novelties are likely to bo received in future.The results obtained from the northern region (from Torres Straitswestward as far as the 130th parallel of E. longitude) are the mostinteresting, but the number of localities and stations searched hereis relatively smaller than on the eastern side. The small numberof Pennatulida3 is partly explained by the fact that the depthsreached by the dredge did not exceed 30 fms. in any locality butone, viz. Arafura Sea, where 32-36 fms. are recorded. One of themosr important results is the acquisition of definite localities forsome interesting forms whose exact origin was hitherto unknown(see Leucoella cervicormis, Mopsella textiformis). Several, however,described by Lamarck, Lamouroux, and Gray, probably coming fromthis region, still remain undetermined as to exact locality. Theknown range of some species has been greatly extended by this Expedition,e. g. NeplitJiya julcesi, Muricea umbraticoides, Siphonogorgiamirabilis, Acaharia japonica, whose previously known habitats wererespectively— i. Philippine Islands ; ii. N."W.Australia; iii. EedSea;iv. Japan.In all, excluding the two Pennatulids as visitors from the deeperwater, the shallow waters in the districts examined yielded altogether36 species, of which 12, or one third, appear to be new toscience, and are, with one exception (EcJiinoninricea indo-malaccensis),according to present knowledge, peculiar to these districts. Of theremaining species, two (EUisella calamus and Leucoella cervicornis)are not known out of Australian (N.AV., N., or N.E.) seas ; whileMuricea umbraticoides and Mojisella textiformis are known onlyfrom N.E. Australia and Dirk Hartog Island (W. Australia).Studer gives 22 other species from West and N^.W. Australia(Dampier Island and Dirk Hartog Island), and Gray 2 other speciesfrom localities within these limits. Of these 24, 12 are not knownelsewhere ; so we have a total of 23 species not as yet certainly knownoutside Australia north of the 30th parallel of latitude.Of the species not confined to Australia, Spongodes florida, Ecliinogorgiafiabellum, Ctenocella pectinata, Jvncella elongata, and Suberogorgiasidjerosa are generally distributed in the Indian Ocean-;Spongodes spinosa and Solenoccmlum tortuostim extend, as at jDresentdetermined, only to New Guinea; Telesto smitlii to the sea off Timor;Neplithya julcesi goes further, to the Philippine Islands. One species,Acabaria japonica, extends to Japan ; two, Siphonogorgia ynirabilisand Juncella gemmacea, to the Eed Sea ; and two, those termedprovisionally Leptogorgia fi^^xilis and Plexaura miniacea, possibly tothe Western American coast.The systematic list which follows will show sufficiently the distributionof the species within Australian waters. I have adoptedthe same classification of the localities as in the case of the Sponges.The list shows that the greater number of species (23) wereobtained on the Queensland coast to the south-east of Torres Straits,