10 ECHINODERJr.V OF THE TnDIAN MtTSEUM. PART VII. 



Compsometra loveni. and C. inconimnda. To the eastward the fauna gradually dies 

 away among theSoutli Sea islands, the littoral genera disappearing first, then those 

 from deeper v.ater. Only the following genera, all from deep water, reach the 

 Hawaiian Islands : Glyptometra, Cosmiometra(two species) , Parametra, Thalassomelra 

 (two species), Psathyrometra, Zenonietra, Compsometra, Trichometra, Decametro- 

 crinus, and Atelecrimis. To the northward the fauna gradually becomes attenuated 

 such primarily littoral genera as Comanthina , ZygomMra , and Craspedometra not 

 extending beyond Hong Kong, and the primarily tropical species of Amphimetra 

 not extending beyond Formosa (Taiwan) ; along the southern Japanese coast we 

 find a fauna including about one- fifth of the total number of East Indian species, 

 but greatly modified in its general facies, and totally different from the modified 

 fauna which occurs on the northern Australian coast. Whereas in northern 

 Australia nine families and four of the five subfamilies of Antedonidse are absent, 

 in southern Japan only three families, the Pontiometrid^, Stephanometridae, and 

 Hyocrinidfe, are lacking, and their loss is compensated by the occurrence of a 

 family peculiar to the region, the Phrynocrinida?. The missing genera, however, 

 number 29 {Com.issia, Comatula, Comanthina, Zygometra , Himerometra, Craspedo- 

 metra, Heterometra, Selenemetra, Cenometra, Colobometra, Oreometra, Gephyro- 

 melra, Ptilometra, Pterometra, Crotalometra , Stiremetra, Charitometra, Mastigo- 

 metra, Toxometra, Zenometra, Adelometra, BaJanometra, Trichometra, Eumetra, 

 Atelecrimis, Comastrocrimts , Hypalomnus, Proisocrinus, and Rhizocrinus) instead 

 of only 19 as in the case of northern Australia, the difference falling mainly in 

 regard to the shallow-water genera which are unable to maintain a foothold in the 

 uncertain surface temperatures prevalent about southern Japan. It will be noted 

 that the genera which give to northern Australia its distinctive characters are 

 absent from southern Japan, while other genera, represented by curious local 

 species in Austialia, are unrepresented, or represented by species entirely lacking 

 the exaggerated special characters distinctive of those from Australia. The loss 

 of East Indian genera in southern Japan is partially made up by the local develop- 

 ment of four genera confined to the region {Cominia, Carpenterocrinus, Erythro- 

 metra, and Phrynocrinus , the last named being the representative of a distinct 

 family). The southern Japanese fauna is remarkable for the great development 

 of Calometrida\ ThalassometridaB , and Charitometridse, and of local species in 

 the genus Catoptometra and in the Bennettia group in Comanthus , three of the five 

 known species of the former and three of tlie seven of the latter being peculiar to 

 the region. It is curious that about 80% of the crinoids known from southern 

 Japan are peculiar to that district, while almost all of those inhabiting the north 

 coast of Australia are immigrants from the north. 



Our knowledge of the crinoid fauna on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula 

 is as yet very insufficient ; but from the indications it would seem that the coast 

 from Singapore to the Irrawaddy river, including the Mergui Archipelago, the 

 Andaman and the Nicobar Islands, was essentially the same in character as the 

 coasts of Borneo or of the Philippines, though poorer in species. One new genus 



