The Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. 231 



COMASTERIDAE. 



COMINIA OCCIDENTALIS. 



A. H. Clark, 1915. Deutsche Siid-Polar Exp.: Zool., 

 vol. 8, p. 164; pi. 10. 



This little comatulid is a most perplexing form, for while the 

 general appearance is quite like a comasten'd, the central mouth 

 and excentric anal tube combined with the absence of terminal 

 combs on the basal pinnules completely conceal the family relation- 

 ship. Mr. Clark in his original description says: "Die Zlihne des 

 Endkammes sind so wenig entwickelt dass sie bei gewohnlicher 

 Untersuchung nicht auffallen." I have failed to detect the combs 

 even with the aid of a magnification of 70 diameters, in either 

 alcoholic or dry material. It is true that with high magnification, 

 on dry pinnules an uneven margin can be found at the tip, but it 

 is not enough to consider even as a rudimentary comb. In view of 

 this absence of combs and the central position of the mouth, it is 

 hard to see why this species should be considered one of the Co- 

 masteridae but in deference to Mr. A.H. Clark's much wider expe- 

 rience and greater knowledge of the group, I leave it where he 

 has placed it. 



Some of the PIETER FAURE specimens are a little larger than those 

 of the GAUSS and there are some trivial differences. The cirri are 

 about XL, 16-18, and the longer ones measure 12-15 mm. The 

 dorsal interradial perisome has calcareous plates more or less abun- 

 dant but it is not "heavily plated". The three lower pairs of pinnules 

 are approximately equal. Genital glands occur out as far as the 

 twentieth pinnule. The color is yellow-brown with no trace of olive. 



The GAUSS specimens were taken in False Bay (west side, Simon's 

 Bay) while those of the PIETER FAURE, it is interesting to note, were 

 collected well up on the Atlantic coast of Cape Colony, 



P.F. 14905. Saldanha Bay, Cape Colony, 10-14 fms. Sand and 

 mussel-beds. 16 specimens. 



COMANTHUS WAHLBERGII. 



Plate VIII. Fig. 3. 



Alecio wahlbergii 3. Miiller, 1843. Arch. f. Naturg., Jahrg. 9, vol. 1, p. 131. 

 Comanthus tcuhlbergii A. H. Clark, 1911. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. 40, 



p. 17. 

 Actinometra parvicirra Bell, 1905. Mar. Inv. South Africa, vol. 4, p. 141. 



It is interesting to note, although the fact may not be of any 

 significance, that the distribution of this characteristically South 



