A NEW DEVONIAN CRINOID GENUS — KIRK 



"Miiller (1858, em. Zittel, 1879 = Taxocrinus briareus, Schultze, 

 1866)." Springer (1913, p. 221) quotes the genus as "Job. Miiller 

 (Taxocrinus briareus Schultze)." It seems imperative to restore 

 Miiller's Lecythocrinus eifelianus to good standing, with Taxocrinus 

 briareus Schultze as a sjmonym. As to the authority for the genus, 

 this must rest with J. Miiller. 



The restoration of Lecythocrinus eifelianus Miiller given by Schultze 

 (1867) as figure 16 on plate 4 is probably a composite of two different 

 genera. The shape of the arm ossicles and apparently the size and 

 proportions of the anal tube seem to have been taken from the speci- 

 men illustrated as figure 1/ on the same plate, which is probably not 

 referable to Lecythocrinus. Careful preparation of a specimen of 

 Lecythocrinus eifelianus from Gerolstein in the Springer collection 

 shows the anal tube to be relatively slender and probably shorter 

 than as restored by Schultze. 



The presence of an anal tube in the Lecythocrinidae with apparently 

 no special anal plate in the dorsal cup is of very great interest. Such 

 structures possibly indicate the origin of a ventral tube by a process 

 at variance with that commonly postulated for most of the Inadunata. 

 Without going into the higlily controversial subject of the origin of 

 crinoid anal structures it nevertheless seems worth while to point out 

 certain possible trends in the evolution of the ventral tube as shown 

 by the group under consideration. 



To begin with it is naturally open to question whether anal x is not 

 present as one of the plates wliich I call tube plates. Miiller's original 

 type of Lecythocrinus eifelianus as figured by Schultze (1867, pi. 4, 

 fig. la) shows a posterior interradius that is essentially cyathocrinoid. 

 Figure H on the same plate, with which the specimen in the Springer 

 collection agrees, and the type of Corynecrinus romingeri all have two 

 subequal plates resting on the upper sloping shoulders of the posterior 

 basal. With the exception of the Gasterocomidae, I have met with 

 but two instances among the Cyathocrinoidea where the posterior 

 basal supports two subequal plates. These are evidently abnormal, 

 but, as is often the case, variations from the normal may indicate 

 possible normal evolutionary trends. Angelin (1878, pi. 23, fig. 13) 

 figured a specimen of " Cyathocrinus glaber Ang." in which the pos- 

 terior interradius is much like that of Corynecrinus in that the large 

 posterior basal supports tube plates instead of the single large anal 

 characteristic of Cyathocrinus. Bather (1893, p. 139) states that the 

 original of this figure could not be found. In regard to the structure 

 of the posterior interradius he says: "The peculiarity in its structure, 

 if we assume some degree of correctness in the figure, appears to have 

 been the absence of anal x, or what is more probable, its fusion with 

 the posterior basal." With the accuracy of the drawing questioned 

 and the original specimen misplaced, there is little use in doing other 



