The C'RtNoiDs from Dr. S. Bock's Kxpedition to Japax 1014. 81 



least Pj and F., with a comb, proximal pinnulars never with strong 

 prominences. — Whether tiie limit between the genera ComaleUa and 

 Gowifisia is a nalural one 1 must leave an open question. 



This seems to be tlie place to mention a young Comasterid 

 swept from a deptii of 40U fathoms in Sagami Bay (St. 37). If this 

 young specimen described below belongs to any previously known 

 Comasterid species there are only a few of which one might expect 

 that it may be a young form, for the number of Comasterids found 

 at a depth of more than 150 fatiioms is only about 10. Since the 

 proxiu)al segments are rather high and narrow and the arm-bases 

 widely separated, one can eliminate both the above-described Comissia- 

 species (which are deep-water forms); of the remaining ones it 

 approaches closest to Oomatulides decameros, known from great depths off 

 .Japanese coasts. There is. however, in the young specimen an im- 

 portant difference from this species: there are dorsal spines on the 

 cuTals. It is however, rather likely that the absence of dorsal spines 

 is not a primary feature in Comactiniina'. Under such circumstances 

 it is possible that dorsal spines can appear in the young specimens 

 and then again disappear. The formation of tiie ch'rals in the other 

 Comatulides-s\)eo\es {C. auslralis) perhaps also points in this direction; 

 A. H. Clark remarks that: »the last 4 or 5 segments before the pe- 

 nultimate have their distal dorsal margin very slightly thickened.* 

 Description as follows: 



C. XIX 11 — 14; 5— () mm. The 4"' segment longest L = 2 ' 2 X br. 

 3'' and 5"' somewhat shorter. From the 7"' segment a weak dorsal 

 prominence. Terminal claw curved, pointed, somewhat longer than the 

 preceding segment. 



R— s h = ' 5 br. at the middle hidden by Cd. I Br 1 h = •'.! X br, 

 laterally free, united with I Br 2 by synartlny. This ossicle low pen- 

 tagonal, h = V;2 br. Br 1 free inside, like the following ossicle on the 

 inner side somewhat narrower. Br 1 and 2 united by a close articu- 

 lation. All the segments after Bi' 4 somewhat hour-glass-shaped, di- 

 stally bent outwards and spiny. Arms X, 35 mm., proximal parts i-ather 

 narrow, well separated from each other. Syzygies 3 + 4 . . IM- 12 . . 

 15+10 etc. with an interval (d 3 ol)li(|ue articidations. Segments 

 distally somewhat longer than broad. 



