Vol. XXVI, pp. 177-182 August 8, 1913 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



DESCRIPTION OF A COLLECTION OF UNSTALKED 



CRINOIDS .MADE BY CAPTAIN SUENSON IN 



EASTERN ASIA. 



# 



HV AUSTIN llnr.AKT CLARK. 



From a zoogeographical poinl of view one of the most interest- 

 ing of the present roast lines is that of Eastern Asia, from Cochin 

 China northward. Although it was from this region that, two 

 hundred and two years ago, the first crinoid outside of the two 

 commonest European species was described (Petiver's Stella 

 Chinensis perlegens) it is only within the last deeade that our 

 knowledge of the species inhabiting this area has emerged from 

 the preliminary stage of widely scattered records, mostly accom- 

 panying descriptions of new species. 



While a number of naturalists have gathered material in 

 restricted localities, particularly in southern Japan, general 

 collections covering the entire region, or any large part of it, 

 have been extremely few — limited, in fact, to two, that of the 

 U. S. Fisheries Steamer Albatross, and that of Captain 

 Suenson. 



Much of Captain Suenson 's material has already been recorded 

 (Yidensk. Medd. fra den naturhist. Forening i Kobenhavn, 

 1909, pp. 116-1 < .)4); hut since the publication of these records 

 additional specimens have been received from him which, on 

 account of their unusual interest, are well worthy of special 

 mention. 



Broadly speaking the crinoids of eastern Asia include species 

 derived from four distinct faunal regions (1) the East Indian, 

 (2) the southern Japanese, (3) the Arctic and (4) the Antarctic. 



16— Pkoc. Biol. Sot. Wash., Vol. XXVI, 1913. (177) 



