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Volume 77, 1948-49
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– 209 –

Marine Provinces within the New Zealand Region.

If New Zealand echinoderms are listed according to their occurrence in the North Island, Cook Strait, South Island, Stewart Island, etc., no satisfactory grouping emerges; most of the species overlap geographically. As a result of molluscan studies, Finlay (1925 and later) has established certain marine provinces within the region. It is satisfactory to find that if the echinoderm distribution is compared with that of the mollusca a close measure of agreement is seen, save for some minor divergences to be noted below—probably attributable to incomplete data. The provinces may be considered from north to south in order, and stenotopic species designated for each. It should be noted that the check-lists must be regarded as provisional, as it is almost certain that a number of species at present known only from one province will later prove to be more or less eurytopic. On the other hand, any association of species generally corresponding with one or other of these check-lists—as may be found in late Tertiary strata—is likely to indicate environmental conditions approximating to those of the corresponding extant province.

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Kermadecian Province. From the Kermadec Islands only a small eulittoral fauna is known. It includes a number of forms highly characteristic of the New Zealand region as a whole, but also includes six distinctive species which may be listed as stenotopic.

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Amphiura kermadecensis Asterina oliveri
Patricia imperialis Astrostole rodolphi
Asterope lissotergum Coscinasterias edmondi

Considering the Kermadecian fauna as a whole, 75% of its 11 species are forms endemic to the New Zealand region. The relationship with Australian-Indo-Pacific faunas is marked, comprising 21% of the fauna. There is no sign of any Magellanic element.

Aupourian Province. This province has been variously defined, but includes the northernmost part of the North Island. Echinoderm evidence would suggest that the southern boundary on the eastern side cannot fall north of Whangarei—for otherwise species such as Asterodiscus truncata and Brisus gigas, with distinct Australian-Indo-Pacific facies would present an anomalous distribution. The proportion of species occurring in the area north of Whangarei and endemic to the New Zealand region is 70%, a figure again lower than the average for the entire region. The stenotopic fauna may be listed at present as follows:

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Cucumaria bollonsi
Eulittoral:
Sublittoral:
Astroceras elegans Laganum depressum
Astroporpa wilsoni Brissus gigas
Ophiothrix aristulata Holothuria neozelanica
Astropecten dubiosus Cucumaria farquhari
Asterodiscus truncatus Psolus neozelanicus
Ogmocidaris benhami Comanthus novaezelandiae
Araeosoma thetidis Argyrometra mortenseni
Pseudochinus variegates

In this province the relationship with Australian-Indo-Pacific faunas is most marked, comprising 27.5% of the entire fauna. Again, as in the case of the Kermadecian province, there is no discernible Magellanic element.

Cookian Province. This is taken as comprising the remainder of the North Island as well as Cook Strait and the northern half of the South Island. It is an area rich in species both eurytopic and stenotopic. The stenotopic species comprise 29, out of a total list of 74 littoral forms, and are as follows:

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Eulittoral:
Amphiura aster Astrostole scabra
A. norae Arachnoides zelandiac
A. rosea Cucumaria ocnoides
A. annulifera Phyllophorus longidentis
Diplodontias dilatatus P. dearmatus
Stegnaster inflatus Caudina coriacea (also sublitt.)
Echinaster farquhari Protankyra uncinata (also sublitt.)
Sublittoral:
Gorgoncephalus chilensis Astropecten primigenius
var. novaezelandiae Psilaster acuminatus
Ophiocentrus novaezelandiae Persephonaster neozelanicus
Amphiura sp. nov. Luidia varia
Ophionereis novaezelandiae L. neozelanica
Ophiocoma sp. nov. Eurygonias hylacanthus
Pectinura sp. nov. Spatangus multispinus
Ophiozonella megaloplax Brissopsis zelandiae

The proposition of species endemic to New Zealand here reaches 78% of the entire littoral fauna for the province, a figure which approximates the average for the New Zealand region as a whole. The Australian-Indo-Pacific element shows a corresponding drop to 16%, also equal to that of the whole New Zealand region. Here for the first time a Magellanic element occurs, equal to some 3.4%. Thus the Cookian fauna, apart from its stenotopic forms, presents a broad section of the whole New Zealand echinoderm fauna.

Moriorian Province. Unfortunately, the evidence from echinoderms as to the existence of a distinct province for the Chatham Islands is completely negative. Only a small number of species are known, and all are eurytopic. The need for a survey of Chatham Islands echinoderms is obvious.

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Forsterian Province. From the southern part of the South Island and Stewart Island a fauna of 46 echinoderms is known, but of these the great majority are eurvtopic: the 8 stenotopic species are all eulittoral, as follow:

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Ophiomyxa duskiensis Cucumaria huttoni
Ophionephthys stewartensis Pseudocucumis thompsoni
Amphiura pusilla Psolidiella nigra
Peridontaster benhami Comanthus benhami

Species endemic to New Zealand here comprise as much as 83% of the provincial fauna. The Australian-Indo-Pacific element falls to only 11%, a figure much below the average for the whole of New Zealand, while the Magellanic element is relatively high, being 4%. In other respects the province shows some resemblance to the Cookian, and possesses species in the Fiords area known otherwise only from the northern part of the Cookian province.

Rossian Province. Although the littoral fauna of the Auckland and Campbell Islands has been studied more closely in recent years, the total number of echinoderms remains small, namely 25. Of these, however, 6 are stenotopic, namely:

Eulittoral:
    Amphiura praefecta     Calvasterias laevigata
    Asterina aucklandensis     Cucumaria leoninoides
    Henricia lukinsii
Sublittoral:
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