5() T. (ÎISLÉN, 



lîc-ation. In the Coinasleruh tlicy arc lar,a,e and well doxx'lojied. Iliey 

 a]>pear smallest in species with powcrhil ciiTi as in Gnmanihns pinguin. 

 Everyone wIk» lias worked somewhat with species u\ this genei'a, 

 knows that for instance a Comaster or Vania parvicirra has a strong 

 power of attaching itself b\' means of the dorsal hooks of the distal 

 pinnules. Consequently the cirri will l)ecoine superfluous or i)erhaps 

 even be a iiindranee if the animal wishes to creep about, which by the 

 observ^ations of H. L. Clark is proved to be the manner of locomotion 

 of some Comasterids. Because of this they become reduced and in 

 many genera they have totally obliterated (as in species of Cajiillaster, 

 Gomaiula, Comaster, Gomantlie.ria, Cornanthina and Vania). 



As appears from the above investigation the subgenus Vania 

 is a very critical genus, forming to a cei'tain extent a middle link be- 

 tween Gümaniheria-Gomanthus and Goniastei: The i-eason why I iiave 

 not united all these genera is that I perceive the possibility of Vania 

 representing a rallying group of hybrids and hybrid-splittings with com- 

 binations of characteristics from different form-circles, I should have 

 liked to put Vania as a separate genus between Gomaster and Coman- 

 iheria-Comantlnis. In this case I -svould have distinguished it fi-om the 

 the first-mentioned genus by the III Br — s chiefly consisting of 4 com- 

 ponents, from the two latter ones by comb-provided pinnules often 

 occurring far out on the arms. Nevertheless the characterizing in 

 such a case is not satisfactory, if one does not transfer all the Vanias 

 of comanthipinna-iyiie to the genus Gomanthns (Genolia). Perhaps there- 

 fore, it is for the present quite as good to keep the classification 

 made by A. H. Claek and put Vania as a sub-genus' under ro»(a?i^/m-s. 

 Still it is then to be observed that, according to his scheme of exa- 

 mination. V. parvicirra a comastervpinna ought to be referred to Co- 

 manthvs if one pays attention to the division-series, to (^'omaster if one 

 takes into consideration the occurrence of the combs. Compai-e also 

 in this connection the above quoted statement of A. H. Clark. Ano- 

 ther solution, and this a rather good one, might be possible. This 

 would be to subdivide Gomasterinœ into 2 genera: Gomaster and Goman- 

 thiis, the first one characterized by comb-provided pinnules occuring 

 distally on every second or third pinnule, the latter one with comb- 

 provided i>innules in an unbroken series. With such a division the 



