A MONOGRAPH OF THE EXISTING CRINOIDS 599 



In 1915 Dr. Hubert Lyman Clark described Comanthus luteofuscum, which he 

 said is obviously closely allied both to parvicirra and to annulata, but is readily 

 distinguished by the short arms, the well-developed, rather short, cirri, the character 

 of the brachials and of the pinnules, which have everted and finely serrate distal 

 ends, and the distinctive coloration. He identified some other specimens taken at 

 the same time as samoana. 



In 1921 ho wrote that, whereas I had at first considered luteofuscum a synonym of 

 parvicirra, since examining his material I had suggested that luteofuscum is identical 

 with samoana, and after a comparison of specimens he thinks that I am probably 

 correct. But he found that there were 2 forms in the collection of the Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology from Mer, both of which I had identified as samoana. 



He says that one of these has very rough cirri and is what he has called luteojusca, 

 while the other has smooth cirri, and he has called it samoana. He writes that I 

 have labeled one of the latter "nearly typical samoana." 



He continues that he is not prepared to say whether these 2 forms represent 

 different species or not. They are easily distinguished from each other, but he hardly 

 thinks that the difference will prove reliable. His first thought was to let luteqfusca 

 stand as the name for the form with the rough cirri, and to use samoana as the name 

 of those which have the cirri smooth. But he remarks that reference to my original 

 description of samoana unfortunately shows that my types are the form with rough 

 cirri. Hence it is the form with smooth cirri which lacks a name. He concludes 

 that for the present the matter may rest, awaiting light on the relationship of the 2 

 forms. 



These 2 specimens were sent to me in Washington, compared with the types of 

 samoana, and returned. I do not now remember the circumstances, and can not 

 say whether the determination was made on the basis of the characters as a whole 

 or whether, in repacking, the labels became exchanged. 



Carpenter and Hartlaub assumed that "Peru," the locality attached to 4 speci- 

 mens in the Hamburg Museum, is the country of that name in South America. It 

 is much more likely that it is Peru, or Francis Island, in the Gilbert or Kingsmill 

 group. 



Professors Pfeffer and Michaelsen tell me that the specimens collected by Vierau 

 form part of a very old collection and that the localities as given are unreliable. 



Although when typically developed the 2 forms are very different, this species 

 seems to intergrade to a certain extent with C. parvicirra. 



Localities. Ceylon [H. L. Clark, 1915]. 



Invisible Bank, about 36 miles east of the Sisters, Andaman Islands (lat. 11 29' 

 to 10 59' N., long. 93 30' E.) [A. H. Clark, 1912] (1, I. M.). 



Siboga station 50; Bay of Badjo, western coast of Flores; down to 40 meters; 

 mud, sand, or shells, according to locality; April 16-18, 1899 [A. H. Clark, 1918] 

 (1, Amsterdam Mus.). 



Siboga station 299; Boeka or Cyrus Bay, southern coast of Rotti, southwest of 

 Timor (lat. 10 52' 24" S., long. 123 01' 06" E.); 34 meters; mud, coral, and litho- 

 thamnion; January 27-29, 1900 [A. H. Clark, 1918] (1, Amsterdam Mus.). 



Amboina; Dr. J. Brock [Hartlaub, 1891]. 



