A MONOGRAPH OP THE EXISTING CRINOID8 637 



Vania parvicirra Gisl^n, Nova Acta reg. Soc. sci. Upsaliensis, eer. 4, vol. 5, No. 6, 1922, p. 53 

 (combs). 



Diagnostic Jeatures. — The arms are less than 30, usually about 20, in number. 

 They may be all rather short and stout, equal or subequal in length, or the anterior 

 may be greatly elongated and distally e.xcessively attenuated. The cirri are few in 

 number and are irregularly distributed about the periphery of a thin .subcircular or 

 irregularly pentagonal centrodorsal, being not infrequently confined to the interradial 

 angles. Mature cirri consisting of 1 1-14 (usually 12-13) segments are usually present, 

 but in rare cases cirri may be wholly absent. 



Notes. — The specimen from Cape St. Andr6, Madagascar, has 23 arms, of which 

 the several postradial series bear 4 (3+1), 5 (1+4), 5 (4+1), 2, and 7 (4 + 3). One 

 of the IIIBr series, internally developed, is 2, all of the other division series being 

 4 (3+4). The arms are undergoing adolescent autotomy. The cirri are XIII, 13-14, 

 slightly more developed than usual and also more compressed laterally and recurved 

 distally. The interradial perisome is strongly plated. 



Of the 2 specimens from the Seychelles, 1 is typical, with 20 arms and IV cirri; 

 the other is small. 



The 2 specimens from Mauritius are small, with 13 and 14 arms. They are very 

 close to, if not, this species. 



Of the 2 individuals from Gwada, Baluchistan, 1 has 25 arms 60 mm. long. The 

 other is smaller, with 21 arms. 



The specimen from ?India has 20 arms 150 mm. long, though the caly.x and arm 

 bases are no larger than in individuals with half this arm length. 



The examples from Galle, Ceylon, show the following characters. 



The 20 arms are 75 mm. long. One of the IIBr series is absent, and there is a 

 single IIIBr 4 (3 + 4) series. 



The 22 arms are 75 mm. long. 



A medium-sized example has 20 arms. 



A small individual has 22 arms 70 nmi. long. 



The 21 arms are 75 mm. long. Three IIIBr series are present, and 2 of the IIBr 

 series are absent. 



The 20 arms are GO mm. long. 



A small specimen has 1 8 arms. 



Chadwick confused this form both with Comanthus timorensis and with Comissia 

 chadwicki. He WTote that the number of arms varies from 10 in a specimen from 

 station XLI { = Comissia chadwicki) and 11 in one from station LVII { = parvicirra) 

 to 48 in one from station IX { = timorensis). The specimens with 44 and 48 arms 

 mentioned by him are timorensis. He noted that IIBr 2 series occur in most of the 

 specimens. 



One of the specimens from Ceylon in the British Museum, which was originally 

 recorded by Bell, has 20 arms. 



The specimen from Ceylon recorded by Dr. H. L. Clark has 21 arms. 



Of the 4 specimens recorded by Reichensperger from Ceylon, 3 have 20 arms and 

 1 has 23 arms. Of the 20-armed specimens the arms reach 95 or 100 mm. in length. 

 The cirri are XI-XIV, weak and slender, slightly broadened distally, rarely exceeding 



