NO. 1073. RECENT CRIXOIDS FROM THE PHILIl'l'lNElS—VLARK. 395 

 Genus COMATELLA A, H. Clark. 



COMATELLA NIGRA (P. H. Carpenter). 



This species was obtained at station 5253; Rakiputan Strait, be- 

 tween the northern end of Samal Island and the west coast of Davao 

 Bay; 28 fathoms." 



Genus COMANTHUS A. H. Clark. 

 COMANTHUS NOBILIS (P. H. Carpenter). 



Specimens were obtained at station 5249; Eakipntan Strait, be- 

 tween the northern end of Samal Island and the west coast of Davao 

 Ba3^; 23 fathoms. 



Station 5250; same locality; 23 fathoms. 



Station 5253; same locality; 28 fathoms; and 



Station 525-1; same locality; 21 fathoms. 



The examples from stations 5249 and 5250, and one of those from 

 station 5254, have each two well-developed cirri. 



COMANTHUS BRIAREUS (Bell). 



I have recently been able to study a large series of specimens of this 

 • and allied species, and have succeeded in dividing them up into cer- 

 tain specific groups which appear to be circumscribed by definite and 

 well-defined characters, and which will, I believe, stand the test of 

 future investigations. 



Briareus was first described by Bell from Port Denison, Australia, 

 but he entirely overlooked its very obvious affinities, placing it in the 

 genus ^'- Anted on,-'' between two species of Zygometra. The division 

 series subsequent to the III Br are described as " two joints, no 

 syzygy," but in the figure most of them are 4 (3-|-4). Carpenter 

 called attention to both of these errors in 1888, and at the same time 

 described a supposedly new species, divaricata, from Banda; diva?^- 

 cata differs from hriareus only in having the centro-dorsal small and 

 stellate, with no trace of cirri, this being in hriareus a thin disk with 

 from fifteen to twenty partially developed cirri. The present series 

 shows all variations between the two extremes, and it therefore be- 

 comes necessary to consider the two identical. The type of divarcata 

 is slightly smaller than that of hriareus, though more developed ; but 



Under the name otAntcdon hassett-smithi Professor Bell has described (and, 

 fortunately, figured) a specimen of Comatella stelUgera from the Macclesfield 

 Bank, just west of the Philippine Islands. He refers this supposed new species 

 to Carpenter's " Spinifera group," and discourses at great length upon the " ex- 

 traordinary divergences exhibited by the syzygies of this species." Had the 

 " species " been referred to the ''StelUgera group " of "Actinometra,'' instead 

 of to the "Spinifcra group" of ''Antedon" this peculiarity, as well as all the 

 other supposed peculiarities, would have been found to be quite normal. Being 

 now correctly identified, there is no longer any danger that "Antedoii " hassett- 

 smithi " will severely shake our faith in the value of the site of the syzygy as 

 an aid in specific diagnosis." 



