370 BULLETIN 82, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



in ordinary light seemed to be black. Some when critically examined in bright 

 light were found to have a distinctly greenish cast, while others were brownish. 



In a solution of Epsom salts (MgSO 4 ) in which they were placed for narcotiza- 

 tion, they gave out rapidly and copiously a brownish red color. As the color was 

 given out to an unequal degree, preserved specimens show much diversity of shade. 



At first these small individuals from the northwestern reef were supposed to be 

 young, but Doctor Clark says the very dark color suggests that they are adults 

 stunted by the adverse conditions under which they live. 



On the eastern and southern reefs purpurea proved to be very common and here 

 reached a larger size. The largest ones found were about 250 mm. across. 



Under the very favorable living conditions on these reefs great diversity of color 

 was shown, especially among the smaller individuals; some were bright red, some 

 madder red, some simply reddish, and occasionally one was yellowish olive, yellowish 

 brown, or gray. Sometimes there were white stripes on the arms and pinnules, and 

 the joints of the pinnules were white, but as a rule individuals were of uniform color. 



History. This species was first described by Johannes Miiller in 1843. In his 

 original description he made no mention of the segregation of the cirri in the inter- 

 radial angles of the centrodorsal, simply saying that they are XII, 12, with the 

 segments as broad as long. 



The locality given by Miiller was New Holland, a geographical term which at 

 that time was used for the northwestern coast of Australia, or as an equivalent of 

 Western Australia, rarely referreing to Australia as a whole. 



In his monograph on the comatulids published in 1849 Miiller said that purpurea 

 differs from Solaris only in the number of the radials of which 2, united by syzygy, 

 are visible, and suggested that this difference may be due to age, purpurea being 

 perhaps a young form of Solaris. 



Dujardin and Hup6 in 1862 gave a translation of Miiller's original description, 

 without any reference to his final disposition of the form in 1849. 



In 1879 Carpenter mentioned Actinometra purpurea in his preliminary account 

 of the crinoids collected by the Challenger, and in his memoir on the genus Actino- 

 metra (the comasterids) published in the same year he remarked that he had not 

 personally examined purpurea, but as Miiller seemed to think that it might be a 

 young condition of Solaris it was most probably a true Actinometra. At the same 

 time he mentioned having seen in the Paris Museum two specimens from the voyage 

 of Peron and Lesueur in 1803 labeled Comatula simplex which represent Actinometra 

 pectinata. I examined one of these in 1910 and found it to be an example of Comatula 

 purpurea. 



In 1883 Carpenter listed Actinometra purpurea with a specific formula, and in 

 1884 Bell recorded a number of specimens from northern and northeastern Australia 

 under the names Actinometra Solaris, Act. pectinata and Act. alternans. 



In 1888 Carpenter noted that Miiller regarded purpurea as probably a young 

 form of Solaris; but as both the Paris (solaris) and Vienna (imperialis) specimens of 

 the latter have 20 cirrus segments while Miiller described Alecto purpurea as having 

 only 12 it should probably be referred to pectinata. In his discussion of Actinometra 



