]VIE. P. H. CAEPENTEE ON THE GENUS ACTINOMETEA. 11 



usually large specimen of the Comatula Solaris of Lamarck — unfortimately, however, 

 ouly a dry one, which he found to differ so greatly from the other Comatulce then known 

 to him, that he described it under the name of Actinometra imperialis S " welche gene- 

 risch von andern durch die Bildung ihres Scheitels verschieden, zu sein schien. Auf 

 dem Scheitel der mit blumenartigen KalkblJittchen bedeckt ist, ist keine Spur von den 

 Purchen zu sehen, die bei den Comatulen von den Armen zum Munde fiihren. Auch ist 

 dort nichts vom Munde zu sehen. Die Mitte der Bauchseite nimmt eine Rohre ein. 

 Die Arme haben die ventrale Purche der Comatulen, die Purchen der zehn Arme miinden 

 aber in gleichen Abstiinden in eine die Scheibe am Hande umziehende Cirkelfurche. 

 Diese eigenthlimliche Bildung liesse sich durch eine unsymmetrische Vergrosserung 

 desjenigen Intertentacularfeldes, worin die Afterrohre steht, iiber den ganzen Scheitel 

 und auf Kosten der anderen Intertentacularfelder erklaren, so dass der Mund aus der 

 Mitte des Scheitels ganz an die Seite zwischen je zwei Armen geriith ; es ist mir aber 

 nicht gelungen den Mund hier zu finden." (PI. I. fig. 2.) 



In a subsequent visit to Lund, Miiller examined two dry specimens of Comatulce^ which 

 had been described by Betzius ^ many years previously under the names oi Asterias pec- 

 tinata " and Asterias mnlth'adiata. These he found to belong to the same type as the 

 Vienna specimen, which he had already designated Actinometra imperialis, and which 

 he supposed to be distinct from the true Comatula Solaris of Lamarck. When he visited 

 Paris, however, in IS^^^, he examined Lamarck's original specimen of this species, and 

 convinced himself of its specific identity with his Vienna Actinometra. Consequently he 

 withdrew the specific name " imperialis," and described the type simply as Actinometra 

 Solaris*. Miiller was unable to determine the position of the mouth in the dry specimens 

 of the Lund and Vienna Museums on which he founded his new genus Actinometra ; but 

 subsequently he was able to examine many spirit-specimens both of his typical species. 

 Act. Solaris, and also of other " Comatulen von jener Anordnung der Purchen, sowohl 



zehnarmige als viclarmige Siehe die beistehende Pigur von Comatula WaJil- 



herghii^" (PI. I. fig. 3). This last species he describes a few pages further on as Comor 

 tula {Actinometra) Wahlberghii. 



He did not, however, appear to regard the position of the mouth as of any systematic 

 importance ; for he goes on to say : — " Der Mund ist bei der in Prage stehenden Ab- 



' Wiegm. Archiv, 1841, i. p. 141; and "Neuo Beitr. z. [Kenntniss der Arten der Comiitalen," Viegm. ArcHv, 

 1843, i. p. 132. 



- Dissertatio sistens species coguitas Asterianim. Luudse, 1805. 



^ The specific name " pcctbiafa,'' LiniiEeus, included both Eetzius's specimens and the Decacnemits of Linck. 

 These belong, however, to two very different tj^es of the genus Comatula, and must be carefully distinguished from 

 one another. The former is, as above mentioned, an Aciinomefra, while the latter was called Alecto by lliiller, 

 being simply the common Comatula mediterranea, Lam. Pennant, Adams, and others naturally employed the 

 Linnean name for this last species ; hut Dujardin, following Eetzius and Miiller, applied it also to Eetzius's original 

 specimen, which is really an Actinometra, and not an Antedon, like C. mediterranea. This has given rise to much 

 confusion in the synonymy of these two species. 



* Wiegmann's Archiv, 1843, i. p. 133. ' * Gattung Comatida,' pp. 12, 13. 



^ Ibid. p. 9, 



o* 



