The Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. 235 



P.F. 12884. East London, Cape Colony, N. 15 miles. 310 fms. 

 Mud. 1 young specimen. 



P.F. 13227. Cove Rock, near East London, N.W. 3 , , W., 13 miles. 

 80-130 fms. Coral rock. 13 young specimens. 



PENTAMETROCRINIDAE. 

 PENTAMETROCRINUS VARIANS. 



Ettdiocrinus varians, P. H. Carpenter, 1882. Jour. Linn. Soc., Zool., 



vol. 16, p. -496. 1888, CHALLENGER Comatulae, pi. VIII, figs. 3-7. 

 Pentametrocnnus vanans, A. H. Clark, 1908. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 



vol. 21, p. J35. 



Although this specimen lacks cirri and has all the arms broken, 

 it is so similar to specimens of vartans from southern Japan, with 

 which I have compared it, that I do not doubt it belongs to that 

 species. The nearest point to South Africa at which the species has 

 previously been taken is near the Andaman Islands in the north- 

 eastern Indian Ocean. 



P.F. 17351. Cape Point, N. 86 E., 43 miles. 900-1000 fms. 

 Grey mud. 1 specimen. 



SEA-STARS. ASTEKOIDEA. * 



The sea-stars form a very large and important part of the South 

 African Echinoderm fauna. They were listed in 1910 by Doderlein 

 (Schultze's Zool. Anthrop. Ergeb. Forschungsr. Sudafrica, vol. 1, 

 pt. 1, p. ^46) but he did not include species occurring only at depths 

 over 278 fms. (50U m.) nor did he extend the South African region 

 to include Mozambique. His list includes 30 species, but two are 

 synonymous (Astropecten capensis and puntoporaeua) and one (i. e. 

 Sladen's record of Aslerina yunnit) is probably due to a mistaken 

 identification or a misplaced label. The collection sent me from the 

 South African Museum contains 51 species but of these only 14 

 are in Doderlein's list. There are however 9 additional species pre- 

 viously recorded from Mozambique or from deep water off South 

 Africa and hence not listed by Doderlein which fall within the scope 

 of the present report, which thus includes 74 species; 18 seem to 

 be new to science and are here described for the first time. 



* After this section was ready for the press I had the pleasure of a visit from 

 Dr. W. K. Fisher, the well-known authority on sea-stars, who very kindly ex- 

 amined many of the specimens and permitted me to proht by his wide knowledge 

 and sound judgement. For this help I beg to offer him herewith my best thanks. 



