674 BULLETIN 82, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



5418). Same [A. H. Clark, 1913] (1, B. M.). Same; from the Godeffroy Museum 

 (1, B. M.). Same; a specimen in the Vienna Museum [P. H. Carpenter, 18881. 



Geographical range. From Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, and Baluchis- 

 tan to Australia, south to Fremantle on the west and Moreton Bay on the east, New 

 Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, the Gilbert, Caroline, Pelew, and Bonin Islands, southern 

 Japan, and Amoy, China. 



Bathymetrical range. From the low-tide mark down to 110 meters. Most of 

 the records are from very shallow water. 



Young individuals have twice been taken swimming at or near the surface 

 (Siboga station 96 and 99). 



Thermal range. One record, 25.56 C. 



Salinity. One record, 1.023. 



Occurrence. Dr. Hubert Lyman Clark said that this is one of the loveliest 

 crinoids found at Mer, but it is not at all common. The specimens taken were found 

 on the under side of rock fragments. 



Mr. Edgar Thurston wrote that on the coast of Madras he found individuals of 

 this species clinging to gorgonians. 



Two young 10-armed individuals of this species have been taken swimming at 

 or near the surface, one at Siboga station 96, the other at Siboga station 99. The 

 only other crinoid which has been captured at the surface is a young specimen of 

 Dorometra nana. n 



History. This species was first described as Alecto parvicirra by Prof. Johannes 

 Muller in 1841 from a specimen without locality in the Paris Museum. Miiller did 

 not himself study the specimen, but based his description on notes taken for him by 

 Dr. F. H. Troschel. Later Muller visited the Paris Museum, and in his monograph 

 published in 1849 he gave notes on another specimen from Vavao in the Tonga Islands 

 which he found there. As his description of Comatula (Alecto) parvicirra, published 

 in 1849, does not differ from the original description published in 1841, it is quite 

 probable that he did not see the specimen which had been examined by Troschel. 



Dujardin and Hupe" in 1862 republished Muller's original description, calling the 

 species Comatula parvicirra. Dujardin, who wrote the portion of this work dealing 

 with the comatulids, had not at that time seen Muller's monograph, and therefore 

 makes no mention of the specimen from Vavao. Apparently he was unable to iden- 

 tify the type specimen of parvicirra in the collection, for he said that it is "given by 

 Muller as in the Paris Museum." Elsewhere he said that among the 24 species of 

 comatulids in the Paris Museum there are 3 described by Muller, "assuming that 

 Comatula brevicirra is identical with his parvicirra." 



Prof. Christian F. Liitken in 1874 inserted the new name Actinometra intricata, 

 followed by the localities Tonga and Fiji, in a list of comatulids printed in the cata- 

 logue of the Godeffroy Museum at Hamburg. This was repeated in 1877, when 

 Port Denison was added to the localities. The specimen from Port Denison, and 

 most of the others, are Comanthus timorensis, by 1 or 2 seem to have been C. 

 parvicirra. 



" See vol. 1, pt. 2, pp. 596, bottom, and 608, second paragraph. 



