The Ckixoids fkom I)r. S. Bock's Exi'eihtion to Jatan I!»I4. o^i 



with a generally greater number of arms which are longer and coar- 

 ser, G. (Vania) parvicirra another one with a smaller number of more 

 slender arms. Nevertheless, both the »speeies» vary so considerably 

 that they often intrude upon each other's spheres. 



The specimens obtained by the Bocivian expedition, show that 

 within the subgenus Va)iia there occur types of combs of both the 

 Gomnstev; Gonianthm- and (of this 1 have been convinced by observa- 

 tions on Dr Mortensen's Japanese specimens of this species) of the 

 Va7iia type too. In revising the Bockian collection 1 have distinguish- 

 ed type 1 and 2 in G. (Vaiiia) parvicirra by ranging tlicni in two diffe- 

 rent sub species. 1 have been neither able nor willing to discuss the 

 innumerable synonyms of this species — A. II, Clark has given an 

 imposing synonym list in Siboga Exp. Vol. 42 B. It is not possible to 

 disti'ibute the names of this list among the 2 new sub-species because 

 most of the authors have given no information about the occurrence 

 and appearance of the combs. Even A. H. Clark, who has described 

 hundreds of specimens l)elonging to this species, has hardly given 

 any other information except about cirri and division-series. It is there- 

 fore natural that he has escaped making the observation that a comb 

 of the Cowas/er-type also occurs in the sub-genus Vania. Already in 

 my work upon the crinoids of Dr Mjoberg's expedition I recorded the 

 statement of P. H. Carpenter about the occurrence of the Gomaster- 

 type in ;5 of the species referred by A. H. Clark to the parvicirra- 

 group, viz. Actinometra elongala, simplex and qxiadruta. All the Mjo- 

 bergian specimens, however, had 4 components in the II Br-series and 

 the Comas/ey-type in respect of the distribution of piiHwIes, and conse- 

 quently, trusting to the Clarkian genus-diagnosis, I referred the above- 

 mentioned species, most suitably referable to Vania parvicirra, to the 

 genus Gomaster and assigned the specimens with coarser cirri to G. 

 multifida and those with rudimentary cii-ri to G. tijpica. Since then I 

 have had an opportunity to establish that the occurrence of combs 

 far out on the arms is not exclusive to the genus Gumasler but is also 

 found in the genus Gomantlim subgenus Vania. 



It is not curious that both these species of the subgenus. Vania 

 have caused great trouble to all authors by their exti-eme variability 

 in practically all distinguishing characteristics otherwise succesfully 

 used. Not onlv arc cii'ri and riri'als. division-series and Br-segments 



