Crinoidea. 445 



west coast to 32 00' S. and on the east coast to 33 50' S ; and 2) the 

 southern, with about 15 / of the species, inhabiting the southern coast 

 and extending northward on the west coast to 25 30' S. (possibly 20 30') 

 and on the east coast to 14 10' S., though only one species passes 32 

 37' S. 



In its general facies the Australian crinoid fauna is an old fauna, the 

 oldest found in the recent seas, having reached a stage of senescence far 

 beyond that attained by the criuoid fauna of any other area (cf. The 

 American Journal of Science, [4J XXXII, p. 127, 1911). 



Though it was derived from the rich fauna of the regions to the north- 

 ward and is consequently younger than that fauna in point of time, certain 

 factors have operated to prevent the East Indian fauna from attaining a 

 faunal old age such as is so evident along the Australian shores. I suspect 

 that slow geological changes among the great East Indian islands, by con- 

 stantly producing new conditions have continually regenerated its fauna, 

 repeatedly sending it back for a longer or shorter distance along the faunal 

 phylogenetic path, while the absence of such changes in Australia have 

 permitted its fauna to drift through maturity into old age, inducing the 

 curiously unbalanced condition of the specific characters and the aberrant 

 and erratic exaggerations (which may well be said to have resulted from 

 an "explosion 1 ' of the characters) common to practically all of the local 

 species. 



Summary of the Locality and Depth Records of Australian Crinoids 



West of 140 E. long. 



Comasteridae. 



Ca pillasterinae. 



Capillaster multiradiata Dirk Hartog Island, 7 fathoms ; N. of Port Walcott 



(1942,r S. lat., 11(5 49,8' E. long.), 91,5 meters; 

 "northwestern Australia' 1 . 



Gomactiniina e. 



ComatuleUa Tjrachiolata (see beyond, p. 447). 



Comatula rotalaria Holothuria Bank, 34 fathoms ; "northwestern Au- 



stralia", 8 15 fathoms. 



Comatula etheridgei Holothuria Bank, 38 fathoms; Baudin Island. 

 Comatula Solaris Holothuria Bank; Dundas Strait; Arafura Sea. 



( oniatula purpurea (see beyond, p. 451). 



