34 ECHINODERMS OF THE BRITISH ISLES 



In British seas this species is confined to the cold area of the 

 Faroe Channel, where it has been found a few times (" Porcupine," 

 " Triton," " Silver Belle," "Michael Sars "). It is an arctic species, 

 ranging from west and east Greenland to the Kara Sea, and as far 

 south as the cold area extends. Known bathymetrical range, 

 24-1960 m. 



3. Leptometra A. H. Clark. 



Rather similar to Poliometra, from which it differs especially 

 in the relative length of the oral pinnules, the two first being 

 equally long, and markedly longer than Pg. Another important 

 difference is found in the size of the cavity of the centro-dorsal, 

 which is much larger in Poliometra than in Leptometra.^ 



Only one species in the British seas (and in the Atlantic). 



1. Leptometra celtica (Barrett and McAndrew). (Fig. 20.) 



(Syn. Comatula Woodwardi Barrett ; Antedon phalangium 

 P. H. Carpenter ; non : Antedon phalangium Joh. Miiller.) 



Cirri ca. xx-xxx,^ with ca. 40-50 joints ; in the proximal 

 part the joints are about twice as long as broad, in the distal 

 part they are only about as long as broad, at most one-third 

 longer than broad, and have the distal dorsal edge somewhat 

 swollen, so that the dorsal profile of the cirri is slightly scalloped. 

 The cirri, on the whole, somewhat stouter in the distal part. 

 The first two pinnules with ca. 20 segments, the outer ones 

 slender, elongated. Colour in life green, ^ fades in alcohol to a 

 pale brown. 



Pentacrinoid stage unknown. Two species of Myzostoma 

 occur on this Comatulid, viz. M. alatum v. Graff and M. 2ndvinar 

 V. Graff. 



In British seas this species has been found at the Minch, SkA^e 

 (abundant in ca. 70-100 m.), off the N. ^coast of Scotland, 

 and off S.W. Ireland (" Porcupine," " Flying Fox," " Helga "). 



1 Cf. Gislen, Echinoderm Studies, p. 217, figs. 301 and 302. 



2 Bell {^Catalogue of the British Echinoderms, p. 59) gives the number 

 of the cirri as xxxv-xlv. A. H, Clark {Notes on the Recent Crinoids in the 

 British Museum, 1913, p. 57) states their number to be xiv-xxiv. The 

 present author has found the number to be ca. xx-xxx. The discrepancy 

 would seem to indicate an unusual amount of variation in the number of 

 the cirri in this species. 



^ This statement of the colour, given in Bell's Catalogue, very probably 

 refers only to the Mediterranean species, the true phalangium ; the colour 

 of L. celtica is, in fact, unknown. 



