206 BULLETIN 82, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



In 1884 Carpenter emphasized the anomalous position of the first brachial 

 syzygy in this species, and cited Actinometra multiradiata as typical of a group of 

 several species of "Actinometra" which together make up the "Group of Actinometra 

 multiradiata," one of the 8 groups into which he tentatively divided the genus 

 Actinometra as understood by him. 



Under the name of Actinometra coppingeri Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell in 1884 described 

 a new comasterid from northeastern Australia which has since proved to be this 

 species. As described by him, however, the first brachial syzygy is between brachials 

 3+4. The generalized and more or less schematic figure was evidently drawn more 

 from the description than from the specimen, as the position of the syzygies agrees 

 wholly with that given in the former and not at all with what actually is found in 

 the latter. 



In 1888 Carpenter defined the group including multiradiata, but called it the 

 "Fimbriata group" instead of the "group of Actinometra multiradiata" as he had 

 in 1884. In this group he recognized 7 species, Jimbriata, coppingeri, borneensis, 

 multiradiata, sentosa, lineata, and discoidea, the last two being from the western 

 Atlantic. 



He considered that the possesssion of short and discoidal brachials differentiated 

 fimbriata from the other species. The Indo-Pacific forms with shortly triangular 

 brachials becoming more quadrate or discoidal distally he separated into two groups 

 based on the presence or absence of IIIBr series. The two forms without IIIBr 

 series were separated on the occurrence of less than 24 cirrus segments (coppingeri), 

 or more than 24 cirrus segments (borneensis). The two with IIIBr series were 

 separated on the occurrence of less than 30 cirrus segments and no IVBr series 

 (multiradiata), or the possession of more than 30 cirrus segments and the presence 

 of IVBr series resembling the IIIBr series (sentosa). 



He described Jimbriata in detail and assigned to it 3 specimens collected by the 

 Challenger at Banda, 1 from Challenger station 208, and others which he had examined 

 from "Sunda Strait (Regnault)," the Australian Seas, "Angio, Java," the Nicobar 

 Islands, and Madagascar (the last coccodistoma) . 



An examination of the type of coppingeri at the British Museum had shown him 

 that Bell's description and figure were incorrect. On the strength of these he had 

 originally assigned coppingeri to a place in the Parvicirra group and had called the 

 type actually represented by it stewarti. He redescribed the form on the basis of 

 all the available material and assigned to it specimens collected by the Challenger 

 at Banda and at Zamboanga, and others which he had seen from Singapore, 

 Amboina, and the China Sea. He compared coppingeri with Grube's borneensis, 

 which last was the only comasterid the type specimen of which he had not seen, 

 and which seems to have been lost. 



He also described multiradiata in detail on the basis of such specimens as he was 

 able to examine, and gave a detailed historical account of it. To this form he referred 

 specimens from the Indian Seas (the type specimen), the Australian Seas, Sumatra, 

 Bohol, the China Sea, and Kagoshima Bay, Japan (the last being marine). 



His description of sentosa was practically identical with the description of 

 multiradiata which he had published in 1882. 



