124 



THREE CRUISES OF THE " BLAKE. 



Fig. 415. — Holopus Rangi. 



specimen was attached to a piece of rock, and was not detected 

 until it had become dry. The general shape is a contracted 

 truncated cone, with irregular 

 contour of attachment. The sur- 

 face is granulated or shagreen- 

 like, with a few small tubercles 

 scattered over it. 



The great peculiarity of the 

 Caribbean fauna is the abundance 

 of ten-armed Comatulse representing both the principal genera. 

 About two thirds of the Antedon species and three fourths of 

 the Actinometrai belong to this simple type. In this respect 

 the contrast with the Comatula fauna of the Eastern seas is very 

 marked. Ten-armed forms of both genera are there decidedly 

 in the minority. 



Of all the Antedon species dredged by the Coast Survey ex- 

 peditions, that with the widest range within the Caribbean Sea 

 is the little ten-armed Antedon HcKjenii Pourt. It was obtained 

 by the " Blake " on the Yucatan Bank, and also at various sta- 

 tions between Dominica and Grenada, at dif- 

 ferent depths between 75 and 291 fathoms ; 

 while Pourtales dredged it in great abundance 

 at several localities in the Straits of Florida. 

 Among the large number of individuals of An- 

 tedon Hagenii from the Straits of Florida, Car- 

 penter noticed a few examples of two new Ante- 

 don species. One of them is distinguished by 

 having enormous lancet-like processes on the 

 lower joints of its oral pinnules ; while the 

 other is a very exceptional type, with no pin- 

 nules at all upon the second and third bra- 

 chials, though those of the other arm -joints 

 are developed as usual. This is a singular con- 

 dition, which occurs but rarely among the Co- 

 matulse. Except in the remarkable type Atele- 

 crinus (Fig, 416), which has no pinnules at all 

 upon the ten or twelve lower arm-joints, these 

 are the only Comatulae which Carpenter has ever met with, in 



Fig. 416. — Atelecri- 

 nus. |. (Carpenter.) 



