﻿266 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 102 



The ecliinoderms represented in the collections, with the year or 

 years in which they were found, are listed on page 299. Subsequent to 

 the completion of this report some specimens collected in 1948 have 

 come to hand. They have been noted in the text under Localities, and 

 for convenience they have been included with the entries for 1947 in 

 the list just mentioned. 



This collection, unusually extensive for any region in the Poly- 

 nesian area, was assembled by 16 members of the expeditions, none 

 of whom had a special interest in the ecliinoderms. These were: 

 Capt. R H. Draeger, M. C, U. S. Navy ; Lt. Comdr. Fred C. Ziesen- 

 henne, U. S. N. K. ; Capt. Earl S. Herald, U. S. Army ; and Frederick 

 M. Bayer; Vernon E. Brock; Frank Cali; Martin W. Johnson; 

 Thomas F. Kohler; Harry S. Ladd; Joseph P. E. Morrison; R. Dana 

 Russell ; Leonard P. Schultz ; William Randolph Taylor ; Joshua R. 

 Tracey; Douglas M. Whitaker; and Fred C. Zimmerman. It is a 

 pleasure to thank these gentlemen and to congratulate them on the 

 notable contribution they have made to our knowledge of the ecliino- 

 derms of Polynesia. 



Class CRINOIDEA 



Family COMASTERIDAE 



Genus COMASTER L. Agassiz 



COMASTER GRACILIS (Hartlaub) 



Actinonietra gracilis Haktlaub, Nachr. Ges. Gottingen, May 1890, pp. 170, 187 

 (description; Pulo Edam, near Batavia, Java). 



Locality.— B'l^ini Atoll; 150-265 feet; August 7, 1947. One speci- 

 men, U.S'.N.M. No. E. 7236. 



Notes. — This specimen has 8 arms on each of the 5 rays, making 40 

 arms in all. In recording 11 specimens of Comaster mult'ifda (J. 

 Miiller) from the Gilbert Islands Prof. Torsten Gislen expresses doubt 

 in regard to the specific distinctness of G. gracilis. It is quite possible 

 that gracilis will prove to be a synonym of multifida. 



Genus COMANTHUS A. H. Clark 



COMANTHUS BENNETTI (J. Mnller) 



Alecto lennetti J. MiJLLER, Monatsb. preuss. Akad. Wiss., 1841, p. 187 (description; 

 locality unknown). 



Locality. — Rongelap Atoll; Kieshiechi Island, lagoon side; Mor- 

 rison, July 24, 1946. Two large specimens, U.S.N.M. Nos. E. 6995, 

 E. 6996. 



