14 TORSTEN GISLÉN, CR1N0IDS. 



Comaster multifida (J. Mull.). 



Comatula multiradiata (part) 1816 Lamabck op. cit., p. ■<'■}■). sec 1909 A.H.Clark op. cit. 11. y. 87. 



Alecto multifida 1841 Jon. Muller op. cit., p. 147. 



Comatula multifida 1S62 Dujardin et HurÉ op. cit., p. 207. 



Actinometra multifida 1888 P. II. Carpenter Chall. Rep., Vol. 26, p. 383 and in other places; 1894 

 Bell op. cit., p. 394. 



Actinometra variabilis (part) 1884 Bell »Alert», p. 109. 



Actinometra belli (part) 1898 Döderlein op. cit., p. 479; Pl. 36 tig. 4 (hut not 4 a). 



Comaster carpenteri 1908 A. H. Clark op. 3, p. 686. 



Comaster multifida 1909 A. II. Clark op. cit. 17, p. 506; 1911 op. cit. 32. p. 750: oj». 33, p. 217: 

 1912 op. 34, p. 84; 1915 op. cit, 42. 



Localities: Station 5: two specimens; Station l:a juvenile specimen. 



Specimen 1 (from St. 5). Cd 3 mm, thinly deepened in the middle, with a swollen 

 börder, which supports VII C:i. These are 12- to 13-segmented, 5 mm in length and 

 from the 6th segment provided with obtuse, dorsal spines, which are not very stout. 

 In the first segment the length is 1 /a of the breadth; the second and third segment 

 longer. The 4th and following ones about as long as they are broad. Dorsal spine 

 on the distal part of the segment, opposing spine not more strongpy developed than 

 the other spines. Terminal claw bent, a little longer than the penultimate segment. 



The R:s appear as a narrow ring around the Cd. 



Arms 32, the anterior ones 90, the posterior ones 50 mm. 



The genital pinnules slightly swollen. The tips of the pinnules yellowish. 



Specimen 2 (Stat. 5). Cd 4 mm a little thicker, flat, without swollen börder. 



C XII, 14; 6 mm, arranged in groups reminding one of Comatula purpurea. 

 The segment without distinct dorsal spines. 



R:s concealed. II Br 4 are 4 (3 + 4). III Br:s either 2 (in 4 cases) on 4 (in 

 7 cases). Six on the outer, five on the inner side. IV Br 4 (3 + 4) in 2 cases. 



The arms 33, dorsally more rough, the segments with stronger distal collars than 

 in the preceding specimen. Length 105 and 60 mm resp. Swollen genital pinnules first 

 at P 7 , not very marked. The teeth of the combs about 10 in number. The dorsal 

 side of the arms yellow-coloured in spirit. Otherwise the same as the preceding one. 



The species in this genus are in most cases distinguished by vague and uncer- 

 tain characters; in the descriptions unsatisfactory distinguishing marks of little or 

 no value are used and in several authors one may also find partly contradictory 

 descriptions. To take C. multifida, for instance, Muller says it has 44 arms and 

 > XX C:i. Bell (»Alert» p. 169) states that the number of the arms is 60—90, the 

 C:i being X (» Act. variabilis Bell (part) = C. multifida). 1 A. H. Clark (op. cit. 32, p. 

 733) distinguishes multifida from typica by the former having less than 50 arms, 

 C: i XII. We therefore get a variability in the number of the arms from 40 to at least 

 60, in the number of the C:i of 10 — >20. But if one starts from these variations 

 as a basis for the identification of the specimen, the characters become altogether 

 too vague to pennit of any certain determination, the attributes pass över into the 

 area of other species, as for instance C. fruticosus, parvus, distincta, pulcher. 



1 According to A. II. Clark. 



, 



