128 BULLETIN 82, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



broadened division series they were extremely slender. Hartlaub gives the range 

 of the variety planata as 240-560 meters. 



There were 108 specimens in the material studied by Hartlaub, nearly all of 

 which were from the Blake collection. Of these 14 were 10-armed and for the most 

 part very young. He remarked that the varietal characters of the very young indi- 

 viduals are as a rule not pronounced so that the definite assignment of these to one 

 or another of the varieties is not possible. 



He mentions as of especial interest some medium-sized 10-armed specimens 

 which by their dark brown color and in other ways recalled meridionalis though they 

 do not belong to this form since certain pulchella characters are present, and at the 

 same station multibrachiate individuals of pulchella were dredged. 



The specimen from the Gulf of Mexico has 11 arms 50 mm. long. 



Of the 4 specimens from Blake station 45Ag., 2 have 10 arms, 1 has 12, and 1 has 

 19. One of the 10-armed specimens has an arm length of about 100 mm. The 12- 

 armed and the 19-armed specimens are both dark brown with individual arms lighter 

 and the cirri white. The arms are smooth dorsally, and the IBr series are free and 

 rounded laterally. The cirri have 3 short basal segments. The ceutrodorsal is large 

 and discoidal. 



Hartlaub described 4 rather large 10-armed specimens of pulchella in the restricted 

 sense from Blake stations 45Ag. and 32Ag. which were referred by Pourtales (1878) 

 to meridionalis ( = Comactinia echinoptera) . All 4 of these are a uniform fairly dark 

 brown with light or white cirri. One from Blake station 45Ag. has some of the arms 

 lighter, though these are always dark at the base. One of those from Blake station 

 45Ag. is fairly well preserved. The tips of all the arms are broken off, but some are 

 preserved for a length of 90 mm. The first brachials vary in the different specimens 

 from almost complete interior contact to complete freedom. With the exception of the 

 color and the number of arms these 4 specimens exhibit characters which agree with 

 those given in Pourtales original description. 



Of the 5 specimens from Blake station 32 Ag., 2 are of medium size with 10 arms 

 and are brown and violet in color. In their color and in the characters of the centro- 

 dorsal they strongly recall meridionalis ( = Comactinia echinoptera}, under which name 

 they were recorded by Pourtales in 1878. Of the other 3 one has 11 arms, one 13, 

 and one more than 13, although through breakage the exact number can not be 

 determined. These are brown, usually with individual arms darker, and in 2 of them 

 the centrodorsal is also dark. The cirri, however, are always light. In the 11-armed 

 and in the 13-armed specimens a darker longitudinal stripe can clearly be seen. All 

 of the specimens have smooth arms and laterally free and rounded IBr series. As is 

 often the case in this species, small synarthrial tubercles are present. 



Of the 3 specimens from Albatross station 2354, 2 have 22 arms and 1 has 19 

 arms. 



The specimen from Albatross station 2353 has 20 arms. 



The example from Albatross station 2154 has 17 arms. 



The specimen from Albatross station 2169 has 13 arms. 



Of the 4 specimens from Albatross station 2337, 2 have 12 arms, 1 has 13 arms, 

 and 1 has 14 arms. 



