A MONOGRAPH OF THE EXISTING CRINOIDS 441 



History. — This species was originally described in 1876 under the name of Coma- 

 tula indica from a single specimen collected at Rodriguez by Henry H. Slater while on 

 the Transit of Venus expedition in 1874. It was redescribed in practically the same 

 terms and figured by Dr. Smith in 1879. 



Dr. P. H. Carpenter published a specific formula for Antedon indica in 1883, and 

 in the Challenger report on the comatulids pubhshed in 1888 he mentioned it several 

 times, though he added no new information in regard to it. In the key to the species 

 of the Palmata group he gave as the chief distinguishing characters: "Margins of rays 

 smooth; third pinnule considerably shorter than the second," contrasting it with 

 tuberculata and spicata in which the "rays have marginal projections; third pinnule 

 not greatly shorter than the second." In 1S89 Carpenter compared indica in some 

 detail with spicata. 



In 1890 Dr. Clemens Hartlaub described Antedon monacantha (=protectus), 

 which was based on two specimens from Mortlock Island and one from Torres Strait. 

 In 1891 Hartlaub redescribed and figured this new species, his figure of the proximal 

 pinnules being drawn from one of the two specimens from Mortlock Island and his 

 figure of the centrodorsal and arm bases being drawn from the specimen from Torres 

 Strait. This last specimen Hartlaub had received for examination from Dr. P. H. 

 Carpenter, but he said nothing further regarding its origin. 



In 1904 Herbert Clifton Chadwick recorded a specimen of Antedon indica from 

 Ceylon. There is a possibility that this specimen in reality represents S. protectus. 



In my first revision of the old genus Antedon published in 1907 indica was assigned 

 to the new genus Himerometra, and in my revision of the family Himerometridae pub- 

 lished in 1909 it was transferred to the new genus Stephanometra. 



In 190S Chadwick recorded and gave notes on two specimens from Suez Bay, 

 which he recorded under the name of Antedon marginata. 



In 1909 Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell recorded Antedon palmata from Farquhar Atoll, and 

 A. spicata from the Seychelles in 39 fathoms. There is a specimen of S. indica from 

 the Seychelles in 34 fathoms in the British Museum on which apparently the latter 

 record was based, at least in part. I have a note that Bell's A. palmata is the same 

 species, but no record of having seen the specimen or specimens. Regarding A. spicata 

 Professor Bell said that he was in some doubt as to the correctness of the identification. 

 He noted that P. H. Carpenter described this species in 1881 from, it would seem, a 

 single specimen, and that no subsequent writer that he knew of had ever mentioned it. 



In a discussion of Stephanometra monacantha (=protectus) published in 1909 in a 

 paper on the crinoids of the Copenhagen Museum, I said that the specimen therein 

 described from the Nicobar Islands (see page 452) agrees more nearly with Hartlaub's 

 specimen from the Caroline Islands (= protectus) than with the one from Torres 

 Strait (—indica). 



In a paper on the crinoids of the Paris Museum published in 1911 I recorded and 

 gave notes on a specimen of S. indica from Madagascar. 



In a paper on the crinoids of Africa published in 1911 I republished in English 

 my notes on the specimen from Madagascar and gave as the localities from which this 

 species is known Rodriguez, Madagascar, the Seychelles, and Farquhar Atoll. I said 

 that the species has also been reported from Ceylon, the Maldive Islands, and the 



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