752 " THETIS " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



COMANTHERIA BRIAREUS {Bell). 



Antedon briareus, 1884, Bell, Rep. Zool. Coll. H.M.S. "Alert," 



p. 163, pi. xiv. (Port Denison). 

 Aotinometra divao'icata, 1888, P. H. Carpenter, " Challenger " 



Reports, Zool. vol. 26, p. 332, pi. Ixiii. , figs. 6-8 (Banda). 

 Actinometra parvicir7^a (part), 1894, Bell, Proc. Zool. Soc, 



1894, p. 394 (KW. Australia). 

 Comanthus briareus, 1909, A. H. Clark, Zool. Anzeiger, vol. 34, 



p. 365 {of Fort Walcott). 

 Differential Characters. — This species is readily distinguished 

 fiom all the other Australian members of the genus. The 

 absence of cirri and the very great number of arms give it a 

 superficial similarity to Comanthina belli and to Gomantheria 

 alternans ; but it differs from the former in having the III Br 

 series all 2 and in lacking the prominent carination of the 

 proximal pinnule segments, and from the latter in the absence 

 or at least rarity of division series of 2 after the III Br series. 



Australian Records. — Comaiilheria briareus was obtained by Dr, 

 R. W. Coppinger of the " Alert " at Porf. Denison, Queensland, 

 in 3-4 fathoms, and was dredged by the German ship " Gazelle "' 

 in 19<> 421' S. lat., 116° 49-8' E. long, (north of Port Walcott, 

 Western Australia), in 50 fathoms. There is a specimen in the 

 British Museum with between seventy-five and eighty arms 

 ■which was dredged at Baudin Island, in 8-15 fathoms. 



Range. — Philippine Islands and Moluccas, south to northern 

 Australia. 



Subgenus COMANTHINA, A. H. Clark. 



Gomanthina, 1909, A. H. Clark, Vidensk. Medd. fra den 



naturhist. Forening i Kobenhavn, 1909, p. 142 {Actinometra 



nobilis, P. H. Carpenter, 1884). 



Dijfferential Characters. — In Gomanthina the III Br series are 



4 (3-1-4), and the III Br series are 2 externall}'^ and 4 (3-1-4) 



internally ; the species are all large, with very numerous arms, 



and usually few or no cirri when adult. 



Range. — The species of the subgenus Gomanthina range from 

 northern Australia to Ceylon and the Philippine Islands, 



COMANTHINA BELLI (P. H. G.). 



Aclinovietra belli, 1888, P. H. Carpenter, "Challenger" Reports, 

 Zool., vol. 26, p. 334, pi. Ixiv., figs. 1, 2 (Prince of Wal-es 

 Channel). — 1898, Doderlein, Denk. Ges. Jena, vol. viii., 

 p. 479, plate, fig. 4a (but not fig. 4), (Thursday Island). 



