24 
2"'' Subfamily Comactiniinae A. H. Clark. 
Key to the Genera of the Subfamily Comactiniinae. 
a' Xo cirri 
b' 20 arms (northern Australia and the Aru Islands) . . Validia (subg.) 
b- I o arms (Australia, except the southern coast, and 
northward to the Andaman Islands, Singapore, Hong- 
kong a n d t h e P h i 1 i p p i n e s) Comatula (,subg.) 
a" Cirri present 
b' more than 30 cirrus segments which, except the penultimate, are 
twice as broad as long, or even broader (southern A u s t r a 1 i a) Comatulella 
b- fewer than 25 cirrus segments of which at least some, and com- 
monly all, are longer than broad 
c^ ossicles of the IBr series short and very broad and, usually with 
the first two brachials, in lateral apposition ; segments of the 
genital pinnules short and broad (usually much broader than 
long in the basal half of the pinnule) and more or less pro- 
duced distally; only exceptionally more than XX cirri, which 
are usually short and rather stout 
d^ ossicles of the IBr series and first two brachials united 
by pseudosyzygy, the union appearing externally as a 
uniformly narrow, or dotted, line; two or more of the 
basal segments of the proximal pinnules usually bear a 
prominent carinate process (Australia, excepting 
the southern coast, and northward to the 
Andaman Islands, Singapore, Hongkong and 
t h e P h i 1 i p p i n e I s 1 a n d s) Comatula 
d" ossicles of the IBr series and first two brachials united 
by synarthry, the line of union appearing externally as 
two very narrow triangles converging to a common 
apex in the median line ; no carinate processes on the 
basal segments of the proximal pinnules (western 
Atlantic, from Xorth Carolina to Brazil, 
includingthe Caribbean Sea) Comactinia 
c- ossicles of the IBr series longer and narrow, widely free 
laterally; segments of the genital pinnules beyond the first 
two as long as, or longer than, broad; XXIV — XL cirri, 
which are long and slender, and strongly compressed laterally 
(Lesser Sunda Islands and southwestern Japan) . Comatulides 
