136 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 
VIIL—THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND BATHYMETRICAL DISTRI- 
BUTION OF THE CRINOIDS. 
A. GEroGRAPHICAL RANGE. 
The geographical distribution of the Crinoids is fully as extensive as that of the other 
Echinoderms. Comatulz range between the two parallels of 81° N. and 52° S8., while 
the corresponding limits for the stalked Crinoids are 68° N. and 46° S. Some genera, 
such as Actinometra and Pentacrinus, occur in shallow water everywhere, or almost 
everywhere, within the tropics; though Pentacrinus has not yet been obtained in the 
Pacific east of long. 170° W., nor between the meridians of 5° W. and 120° E,, its 
nearest approach to the Indian Ocean being the Moluccas. Metacrinus, on the other 
hand, has been found in the neighbourhood of Singapore; but is otherwise almost 
entirely limited to the tropical regions of the West Pacific, ranging, however, as far 
north as Japan; while Pentacrinus wyville-thomsoni occurs in the Atlantic as far north 
as lat. 45°. Holopus, however, has never been obtained out of the Caribbean Sea. 
Of the stalked Crinoids Rhizocrinus has the farthest northern range (68° N.), but it 
has not been met with more than once (Station 122), or possibly twice (Station 323), 
south of the equator, and is limited to the Atlantic and the Caribbean Ocean. Bathycrinus, 
while ranging through 110° of latitude in the Atlantic and Southern Oceans, does not occur 
in the Pacific at all. Antedon, on the other hand, is cosmopolitan, five species inhabiting 
the Arctic Ocean, while the genus is also well represented in the Southern Ocean. It is 
curious, however, that so far as I am aware, there are no museum specimens, nor any 
records of Comatule from New Zealand. 
As a general rule, the individual species of Crinoids are much limited in their range, 
though there are a few well marked exceptional cases. Both species of hizocrinus occur 
in the east as well as in the west Atlantic, Rhizocrinus lofotensis ranging ‘from the 
Lofoten Islands to 9° 8. or perhaps to 35° 8.; while three species of Pentacrinidee occur 
in the South Pacific near the Kermadecs, and also among the Philippines, as the following 
list shows :— 
4 Near the Ker- Near the pare se 
SPECIES. adoe ialanda: Fiji Islands. Panglao. Meangis Islands. 
Pentacrinus naresianus,  . 5 170 171 175 210% 214 | 
Pentacrinus alternicirrus, . 5 ee 171 bors 210% 214 
Metacrinus wyvillii, ; 5 170 214 
oe 
