A MONOGRAPH OF THE EXISTING CRINOIDS 399 



or bluiit dorsal spine. The color is light purple, the cirri slightly darker and becoming 

 very dark distally. 



Another specimen from the same locality has also 19 arms 60 mm. long. As in the 

 preceding, the cirri are arranged in 15 closely crowded colunms, two or three to a 

 column; the longest have 81-89 segments and reach a length of 55-60 mm. 



A third specimen has 20 arms, the cirri with a maximum of 75 segments. The 

 other specimens have 19 amis. One of them has a single IIIBr 2 series developed 

 externally. In the smaller specimens the longest cirrus segments are slightly longer 

 than broad. 



The 10 specimens from off Geraldton are all of medium size, the arms bebg 45-55 

 mm. long from the radials, and the longest cirri have 69-78 segments and are about 

 45 mm. long. SLx have 20 arms, two have 19, one has 16, and one has 14. The 

 color in life was recorded as purple, the cirri red. In alcohol the color is yellowish 

 brown, the cirri becoming deep purple in the outer half. 



The four specimens collected by Quoy and Gaimard upon which Muller based 

 his Comatula nuicronema (adopting a manuscript name bestowed upon them by 

 Valenciennes) have 13-18 arms. The cirri are very large with the segments in the 

 proximal half slightly longer than broad. 



The specimen from the Great Australian Bight in the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology (No. 713) has 25 arms. 



Regarding the specunens in the South Australian Museum Dr. Hubert Lyman 

 Clark said that this, "the commonest Australian crinoid," is represented by 47 speci- 

 mens from Encounter Bay, St. Vincent Gulf, Spencer Gulf, off Althorpe Island (col- 

 lected by Sir Joseph Verco in 1892) and at least one unknowai locality. The largest 

 specimens have 25-31 arms about 70 mm. to 80 mm. long, and more than LX cirri 

 which may be 57 nun. long and have 87 segments. There are 7 very small specimens 

 with 10 arms, and the cirri XVIII-XX, nearly or quite as long as the arms (about 

 20 mm.) with 40 or more segments. 



The two specimens in the Museum of Comparative Zoology from 40 miles west of 

 Kingston (No. 714) have 15 and 22 arms. The middle pinnules appear to be longer 

 in this species than in P. australis and much more spmy. The segments fit so closely 

 that the pinnules as a whole have the appearance of thorns. There is a considerably 

 greater difference in the appearance of the proximal and distal half of the arms than 

 in australis. 



One of the specunens from Kangaroo Island has 32 arms 55-60 mm. long, and the 

 cirri about L, 82-88, 65 mm. long. The centrodorsal is 6 mm. high and 8 mm. in 

 diameter. The IIIBr series are developed externally in 2,1,1,2 order as is always the 

 case in this group. The lower pLimulcs are large and long. 



One of the specimens from Port PhiUip is a fine large example with 18 arms re- 

 sembling those in the Australian Museum collection from Kangaroo Island. Another 

 is similar. The third is j'oung. 



Abnormal specimen. — One of the specimens from Kangaroo Island is 6-rayed 

 with 5+4 + 3+4 + 6+4 = 26 arms. The centrodorsal is 5 mm. high and 8 mm. In 

 diameter. There are about L cirri. 



Color in life. — Professor Studer noted that the specimen collected at Dirk Hartog 



