H 1918 Commonwealth of Australia Department of Trade and Customs FISHERIES Biological Results of the Fishing Ex-periments carried on by the F.l.S. "Endeavour," 1909-14. H. C. Dannevig, Commonwealth Director of Fisheries VOL. IV. Published by Direction of the Minister for Trade and Customs, Hon. J. A. Jensen, M.H.R. Sydney, 1916-1918 1 CONTENTS. PART L— Published 2nd June, 1916. Page. I. — Report on the Sea-Lilies, Starfishes, Brittle-Stars and Sea- Urchins obtained by the F.I.S. " Endeavour " on the coasts of Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. By Hubert Lvman Clark. Plates I.-XLIV " . . . . " . . 1 PARTS II.-IIL— Published 8th August, 191(5. II. — Report on the Polychseta obtained by the F.I.S. '' Endeavour " on the coasts of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. Part 11. By William B. Benhani. Plates XL VI.-XL VIII " 125 III. — Report on the Gephj'rean Priapulus obtained by the F.I.S. " Endeavour " in Australian Waters. By William B. Benham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 PART IV.— Published 31st October, 1916. IV. — Report on some Fishes obtained by the F.I.S. " Endeavour " on the coasts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South and South-western Australia. Part lY. By Allan R. McCulloch. Plates XLIX.-LVIII 167 PART v.— Published 18th May, 1918. V. — Report on the Cephalopoda obtained by the F.I.S. "Endeavour" in the Great Australian Bight and other Southern Australian Localities. By S. Stillman Berry. Plates LIX.-LXXXVIII. 201 PART VL— Published 12th October, 1918. VI. — Title Page, Contents and Index . . . . . . . . . . 303 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. Page. Benham, William B. — Report oil the Polychsfita obtained by the F.I.S. " Emleavour " on the coasts of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. Part II. .. .. .. .. ..125 Report on the Gephjrean Priapulus obtained by the F.I.S. "Endeavour" in Australian Waters,. .. .. .. I(j3 Berry, S. Stillman— Report on the Cephalopoda obtained by the E.I.S. "Endeavour" in the Great Australian Bight and other Southern Australian Localities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 Clark, Hubert Lyman — Report on the Sea-Lilies, Starfishes, Brittle-Stars and Sea- Urchins obtained by the F.I.S. " Endeavour " on the coasts of Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania. Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia . . . . . . 1 McCuUoch, Allan R.— Report on some Fishes obtained by the F.I.S. " Endeavour " on the coasts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South and South-western Australia. Part IV.. . 167 ^>^\'< I. Report on the Sea-Lilies, Starfishes, Brittle-Stars and Sea-Urchins obtained by the F.I.S. " Endeavour " on the coasts of Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. HUBERT LY^IAN CLARK. Curator of Echinoderms, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A. Plates i.~xuv. : Text Figs. 1—11. SEA LILIES, STARFISHES, ETC. — CLARK. REPORT ON THE SEA-LILIES, STARFISHES, BRITTLE-STARS AND SEA-URCHINS. I. — Introduction. The collections dealt with in this report consist of the Echinoderms, excepting the Holothurians or Sea-cucumbers {beche-de-mer), or in technical terms the " Actinogonidiate Echinoderms," obtained by the Federal Fisheries Investigation Ship " Endeavour " along the Australian coast south of Lat. 24°S. at depths of less than three hundred fathoms, during the years 1909-1914 inclusive. The Holothurians were by mutual agreement sent elsewhere for study. The collections were sent to me in five instalments and have included altogether one thousand and sixty-one specimens representing one hundred and fifteen species, of which thirty- nine seem to be new to science and fifteen others are now recorded from Australia for the first time. Others, previously known from northern Australia are now listed from stations south of the tropics, and the extension of ranges in this way is oftentimes very great. Up to the present time (1 July, 1915), the list of Actinogonidiate Echinoderms known from Australia was about three hundred and twenty, but owing to numerous cases of incorrect identifications and of inaccurate locality labels, it is impossible to give exact figures. There is no doubt, however, that including the large additions made by the " Endeavour," the known Echinoderm fauna of Austraha includes more than three hundred and fifty valid species, aside from the Holothurians. The geographical distribution of these species is very inter- esting. At least two hundred are endemic, or at least have not yet been reported from elsewhere, while most of the remainder are East Indian species, ranging southward along the eastern coast of the continent to southern Queensland or even to Port Jackson, New South Wales. In his very interesting and useful paper on the " Recent Crinoids of Australia, "i Mr. Austin H. Clark has recognised the existence of a North Australian and a South Australian subregion. Port Jackson on the east coast and Shark Bay on the west serving as the approximate boundary between the two. Study of the Echinoderms as a whole (including the Holothurians), however, 1. A. H. Clark— Mem. Austr. Mus., iv., 15, 1911. 4 " ENDEAVOUR SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. indicates that such a division of the AustraUan marine fauna fails to bring out the interesting contrasts between the east and west coasts, and I would suggest the recognition of three AustraUan subregions as follows : — 1. East Australian subregion, extending from about 35°S. Lat. to 15°, merging northward in the East Indian or, more properly, Indo-Pacific fauna of the Torres Strait district. Of the more than four hundred Australian Echinoderms now known, about sixty-five, or some 16% belong exclusively to this fauna. Some of the characteristic species are the following : — Crinoids. Comatula cratera. Ptilometra mulleri. Compsometra loveni. Asteroids. Mediaster monacanthus. Anthenea acuta. Astrogonium duheni. Ophiurans. Conocladus amhlyconus. Ophiarachnella ramsayi. Ophiura multispina. Echini. Prionocidaris australis. Centrostephanus rodgersii. Clypeaster australasioe. Holothurians. Tceniogyrus australianus. Molpadia dissimilis. Cucumaria mirabilis. Some of the species characteristic of this fauna no doubt range south of Lat. 35° and even reach Port Phillip, Victoria, but such cases are exceptional and do not invalidate the recognition of the subregion. The remainder of the more than two hundred Echinoderms known from the eastern coast of Australia, north of Shoalhaven Bight, New South Wales, are Indo-Pacific forms, many of which find a centre of abundance in Torres Strait. The distance southward to which they range differs greatly in different species, but it is evident from the " Endeavour " collection that most of SEA LILIES, STARFISHES, ETC. — CLARK. 5 them may range as far south as Wide Bay, Queensland, and some are known to reach Port Jackson, New South Wales. 2. South Australian subregion, including Tasmania and the mainland coast south of 35°S. Lat. It merges on the east coast with the East Australian subregion, and some of its characteristic species reach Port Jackson. This is the typical Australian marine fauna and includes about one hundred and twenty species or approximately 30% of the known Echinoderms. More remarkable, however, is the fact that the great bulk of this fauna is endemic or at least is not at present known from elsewhere. Apparently not more than a dozen of the Echinoderms known from the southern coasts of Australia range north of Lat. 28° or east or west of the Australian region. A very few (of which Ophionereis schayeri is a conspicuous example) occur in New Zealand. One {Echinus horridus) is known from South America and South Africa and perhaps more will ultimately be found with that range. One starfish {Luidia maculata) has the very unusual range of encircling the Australian continent and reaching China and Southern Japan on the north. The following are some of the most characteristic species of this remarkable fauna : — Cbinoids. Comanthus trichoptera. Ptilometra rnacronema. Compsometra incommoda. ASTEKOIDS. Nectria ocellata. Tosia aurata. Pseudolinckia rhysa. Plectaster decanus. Coscinasterias dubia. Ophiukans. Astroconus australis. Ophiactis resiliens. Ophiothrix spongicola. Echini. Goniocidaris tubaria. Microcyphus annulatus. Amblypneustes grandis. Holopneustes porosissimus . Heliocidaris erythrogramma. 6 " ENDEAVOUR SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. HOLOTHURI ANS . Leptosynapta dolabrifera. Pentacta spinosa. The western limit of this subregion is not easy to determine. The little work the " Endeavour " did in the Great Australian. Bight revealed a very interesting fauna and suggests that many of the Echinoderms of the South Australian subregion do not extend their range west of 125°E. Long. At any rate, there is no doubt that once Cape Naturaliste is passed, the Echinoderm fauna undergoes an appreciable change, although a few species from the south (as Ptilometra macronema) range northward to Geraldton, Western Australia. 3. West Australian subregion, extending northward from Lat. 35°8. ; the northern limit camiot be given as we know almost nothing of the echinoderm fauna between Lat. 20° on the north-west coast to Port Darwin, a distance of more than a thousand miles. Some eighty -five species of Echinoderms are now known from West Australia ; of these ten or a dozen are species of the South Australian subregion and rather more than thirty are species from the north, relatively few of which are, however, truly East Indian. More than forty species, or half the fauna, are peculiar to the subregion, so far as we know, and many of these are very remarkable forms, often representing peculiar genera. The following are some of the characteristic species : — Crinoids. Comatula etheridgei. Petasometra helianthoides. Neometra gorgonia. Asteroids. Nectria ocelli f era. Oreaster nodulosus. Culcitaster anamesus. Linckia tyloplax. Ophiurans. Conocladus microconus. Astrogymnotes catasticta. Ophiocreas adhcerens. Ophiothrix smaragdina. sea lilies, starfishes, etc. — clark. 7 Echini. Phyllacanihus magniflcus. Centrostephanus tenuispinus. Peronella aphnostina. HOLOTHURIANS. Caudina tetrapora. Colochirus axiologus. It is useless to speculate on the origin or significance of this West Australian fauna until we know the fauna of the north-western coast. The region between Shark Bay and Torres Strait should be thoroughly explored, and, as soon as possible, that between MelviUe Island and Timor. When this vast area is as well known as South-eastern Australia we shall be able to form an intelligent opinion concerning the West Austrahan subregion. We shall know then, too, whether we ought to recognise a North AustraHan subregion, and if so, whence its fauna came. There are some very characteristic species from that district, but they do not come within the scope of this report. So far as the present evidence goes, it seems that the Western Austrahan fauna is a derivative of that of the South Aus- tralian subregion with a considerable element from the tropical Indian Ocean. The characteristic South Australian fauna is clearly derived from that of the east coast with at least a small addition from a southern fauna common to South Africa and southern South America. The exact extent and significance of this southern element is one of the most interesting and least known features of the South Australian fauna. There is little question that the East Australian fauna is derived directly from the Indo -Pacific and is still closely associated with the fauna of the East Indies and the Pacific Islands. Whether any of the east coast fauna has been received through Torres Strait or whether it has all come around the eastern end of New Guinea, or whether it is largely of southern origin and has spread northward and eastward, are still questions to be answered, but I see very little evidence indeed in favour of the latter view. In the above discussion, I have obviously omitted all reference to other groups of animals, believing I could best do my part in the solution of the problem by presenting simply the evidence offered by the group I am studying. I believe the Echinoderms are a very satisfactory group by which to test possible lines of migration, the great antiquity of the phylum, the relatively small number of genera and species- 8 " ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. and the general distinctness of lines between the classes and orders, all tending to make a correct interpretation of the distribution at least hopefully feasible. Of course, we are just beginning to approach the problem and do not as yet know all of its factors, but the possibiUty of a solution cannot be fairly denied. The collections made by the "Endeavour" have certainly thrown a flood of light on the composition of the Australian Echinoderm fauna, and hence bring us that much nearer to a knowledge of its origin. For the honour done me in entrusting these valuable collections to me, and for the privilege of studying them, I desire to express my thanks to the Minister of Trade and Customs of the Commonwealth of Austraha, Honourable Frank Gwynne Tudor, and to the former Comptroller- General for Trade and Customs, Nicholas Lockyer, Esq., I.S.O., and, of course, to Mr. Robert Etheridge, Curator of the Australian Museum. Since my correspondence has been entirely with Mr. Etheridge, I cannot forbear the expression of my great appreciation of his uniform courtesy, consideration and patience. To collaborate with him in scientific work is indeed a great pleasure. II. — Description of the Genera and Species. CRINOIDEA. The Crinoids collected by the " Endeavour " are of the greatest interest. There are two hundred and sixteen specimens, representing sixteen species, eight of which seem to be new to science, and ten genera, of which three have not previously been recorded from Australia. More than haK the specimens (one hundred and forty-four) represent a single well-known species, while five species are represented by only a single specimen each, and five others by only two each. Of the eight species previously known to science, all have been recorded from Australia before, indeed seven of them are characteristic of the Australian fauna and only two have been reported outside this region. The " Endeavour " collection extends, often very considerably, the known range of four of these eight species. Undoubtedly the magnificent new stalked crinoid from off the south-eastern corner of the continent is the most notable form taken, but the new species of Oreometra and Cosmiometra are very fine. The number of species of Crinoids now recorded from Austraha is sixty-six, not including those taken in depths exceeding three hundred SEA LILIES, STARFISHES, ETC. — CLARK. 9 fathoms nor those known from Sahul Bank (south of Thnor) ; of the sixty-six, thirty-seven, or more than half, are known only from Australia. Family PENTACRINITID^. Genus Metacrinus, P. H. Carpenter. Metacrinus cyaneus,^ sj). nov. (Plate I.) Stem rather stout, apparently not exceeding 400-500 mm. in length, and ranging from 5 to 8 mm. in diameter in the different specimens ; pentagonal in cross section, with shghtly rounded angles ; immediately beneath the calyx, the sides are grooved and the angles sharp, but after five or six nodes, the grooves and angles have virtually disappeared. Cirrus sockets confined to the nodals, transversely oblong, the shorter diameter markedly less than the height of the nodal, one-fourth of which lies below the sockets. Nodals not at all produced at angles, nor otherwise conspicuous, but occasionally a low swelling is indicated on the rounded angle. Internodals 7-15, but rarely fewer than 9 ; the uppermost becomes fused with the nodal on the lower half of the stem ; the upper and lower margins are prettily crenulated along the suture, except on the lowest internodes ; their radial faces are plane (except on uppermost internodes) while the internodal angles may bear low, rounded swellings (scarcely large enough to be called tubercles), though these are often entirely wanting ; the internodals in some specimens are of nearly uniform height, but generally alternate internodals are higher than those between ; this difference may be very marked, especially on the uppermost internodes ; along the midradial line of the upper internodes, there is a conspicuous pit between each pair of stem-segments (nodals and inter- nodals alike), but this vertical series of pits becomes indis- tinct at about the ninth or tenth internode and lower down completely disappears ; the lower internodes have a smooth, shining, porcelain-like surface, but the upper ones lack this entirely . Cirri 50-65 mm. in length (eight to ten times the stem- diameter), the longest with 60-64 segments ; basal segments low (not half as high as wide), gradually becoming higher, but never becoming even approximately as high as wide ; terminal ■claw scarcely longer than the preceding joint, slightly curved : 1. Kvaj/eo?=dark blue, dusky, in reference to the colour of the stem. 10 '■ ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. there are more or less evident median tubercles on a dozen or fifteen of the terminal segments ; there tend to be two on each segment but they are very low and small as a rule. Cirri transversely oval in cross-section at base, but soon become cylindrical and distally more or less laterally compressed. Fully developed cirri have a smooth, polished surface, as usual. Basals rather prominent, somewhat produced downward over the angles of the stem, broadly in contact laterally. Radials two or three times as wide as high, with a marked proximal angle (between the basals) and a distinctly concave distal margin. IBr normally 6 (1+2, 4+5), ^ but often 7 (1+2, 4+5), occasionally 5 (1+2) and rarely 4 with no syzygy. Axillary triangular, almost as high as wide, lateral angles truncate, distal angle somewhat rounded. Pinnules on second, third and fifth segments and on sixth when seven are present. IIBr 6-11, usually 9 or 11, not rarely 7, but 6 only in one instance ; a syzygy between 3 and 4 ; in one instance the syzygy is between 2 and 3 instead. Illfr almost always present, 9-21, usually 13 or 15 ; a syzygy between 3 and 4. IVBr often present, 16-27, usually 19 or 21 ; more generally present on the outer, than on the inner IIIBr series. Arms 45-60 (57 in ho lo type), with about 140 brachials after the IVBr series ; articular tubercles slightly indicated ; dorsal surface smooth ; beyond the IIIBr axillary the brachials have somewhat flaring distal margins, more or less spinulose at first, but becoming smooth near arm tip ; distally the arms are somewhat compressed ; the arms of the ho lo type are more than 200 mm. from the radial to the tip. Oral surface of arms with nmnerous granules and little plates, which are particularly crowded along the margins of the food-groove. Pinnules rather stout, four-sided, somewhat flattened ; each segment is more or less concave or hollowed out on both the proximal and distal sides ; this is very marked on distal side of first pinnule but on the second is nearly wanting, the distal margin of the latter being compressed and keel-like ; subse- quently the concavity of the distal and proximal sides of the pinnules becomes a constant feature ; the oral surface of each pinnule is provided with granules which guard the food- groove ; the terminal half of each pinnule is thus covered orally by a double, interlocking series of pointed granules. First pinnule (that on IBr 2) about 20 mm. long with 17-18 segments ; second somewhat longer ; third a little longer than 1. Not counting the radials themselves, of course. SEA LILIES, STARFISHES, ETC. CLARK. 1 I second ; fourth (that on IIBr 4) about 25 mm. long, with 22-23 segments ; fifth about as long ; sixth a Httle shorter ; succeeding pinnules decrease in length very gradually, becoming about 10 mm. long, with 15 or 16 joints,; this size continues to the terminal part of the arm, where, about fifty segments from the tip, it drops quickly to 2 mm. and less, with only three segments or even fewer ; there are half a dozen or more intermediate pinnules with 12, 10, 8 and 6 joints, but the transition is quite abrupt as is usual in the genus. Colour (in alcohol or dried from alcohol) either uniformly light bluish-grey, or crown pale yellow or whitish, and stalk deep greenish-blue in marked contrast. The holotype (in alcohol) is uniformly whitish with a distinct orange tinge, but only a small part of the stalk is attached to the magnificent crown. The stalk of this specimen, preserved dry, is deep greenish-blue. Unfortunately there are no notes on the colour in life, of any of the specimens, but it is not likely that the bluish shade in the stalk is the result of preservation. It is possible that the yellowish crowns are the result of preserva- tion in alcohol. There are seven specimens. This superb crinoid is well distinguished from all the pre- viously described members of the genus by the large number of segments in all the various numerical series ; thus the number of internodals (usually more than 9 and often 14) is the maximum for the genus, the number of cirrus-joints is nearly the maximum, the number of radials is often the maximum, and the segments of both the IIBr and the IIIBr series approach the maximum number. In certain particu- lars, M. rotundus, Carpenter, seems to be the nearest relative of M. cyaneus, but it has decidedly fewer cirrus-joints, and the distal brachials are not at all flaring, the arms being quite smooth; moreover the radials and the members of the IBr series are stouter, smoother and of quite a different shape in M. rotundus. As the only stalked crinoid as yet known from the coasts of Austrahai, Metacrinus cyaneus is of unusual interest and will certainly rank as one of the " Endeavour's" most noteworthy discoveries. The geographical isolation of M. cyaneus is remarkable, the Kermadec Islands, nearly 2500 miles to the north-east being the nearest locality where Metacrinus has been taken. Locs. — Eastern Slope, Bass Strait, about 200 fathoms. This specimen has been selected as the holotype. South-east of Wilson's Promontory, Victoria. 1. Sahul Bank, south of Timor, is scarcely Australian. 12 " ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. Twenty and a half miles S., 19° E. of Cape Everard, Victoria, 90 fathoms. One good specimen from an unknown locality, but the appearance leaves little room for doubt that it is from the station south-east of Cape Everard, Victoria. Family C0MA8TERID.E. Genus Comatula, Lamarck. COMATULA CRATERA,! SJ). nOV. (Plate II., fig. 1.) Disk of holotype, 13 mm. across ; arms 175 mm. or more in length, 4 mm. in transverse diameter at base, 5 mm. at 20 mm. distance from base, and 3| mm. at 50 mm. from base. Centrodorsal pentagonal, 4 mm. in diameter ; its sides are straight or more or less concave ; it is flush with the radials, all of which are fully exposed. Cirri none in the holotype and eight other specimens ; in three specimens, a single small cirrus is present in each ; one specimen has two and one has three such cirri, each with 16-19 joints. The second radial is more than twice as high as the first and half again as wide ; the third (axillary) is triangular, nearly twice as wide as high. Brachials (beyond the tenth) broadly triangular, the pinnule- bearing end three times as wide as the other ; the distal margin is slightly concave and projects as a faint articular tubercle where the brachial is widest ; the lowest brachials are nearly equally wide on the two sides and have the articular tubercle more marked on their proximal margins, but these tubercles are never conspicuous. Along the median line of the arm is a shght keel ; it is better marked on some brachials than on others and the degree of development difl^ers in differ- ent specimens. Syzygies between br. 1 and 2, and 3 and 4 and then at intervals of 5-7 joints to about br. 30, after which the usual interval is 5, though 4 or 6 occur frequently. Pin- nules rather stout but becoming long and slender distally ; Pi about 20-25 mm. long, with some 45 segments, of which not more than 12-15 make up the small terminal comb ; suc- ceeding pinnules successively shorter to Pg which is about 16 mm. long and has some 25 segments ; terminal combs confined to first three pairs of pinnules ; basal segments on 1. K/)aT6/jo'= strong, stout, in reference to the unusually thick arms. SEA LILIES, STARFISHES, ETC. — CLARK. 13 all pinnules, much wider than high, and somewhat com- pressed, especially at distal margin ; on P2, P3, Pa, and P(„ this compressed distal margin becomes a conspicuous project- ing keel on segments 2 and 3 ; beyond Ps, the pinnules gradually lengthen and become more slender until they may exceed 20 mm. in length and have 35 segments. Mouth radial in position, not very close to margin of disk, with equally developed food-grooves running to all the arms. There is no plating of disk or of the oral surface of arms and pinnules, but the membrane covering the disk is, when fully dried, seen to be filled with calcareous granules of very small size. Colour (in alcohol or dried), light fawn-colour with or without purple markings ; perhaps in life all would show these purple markings more or less clearly ; when well- developed they appear as longitudinal stripes one on each side of each arm, with a branch runnning up each pinnule ; distally the stripes fade away altogether ; proximally the stripes on the inner side of a pair of arms unite at the tip of the axillary from which they arise, while those on the outer side broaden out and cover the radials except for a narrow median area ; even the centrodorsal may be purplish ; the disk and oral surface of the arms are yellowish, quite yellow when dry. Whether this fine comatulid should be considered distinct from C. Solaris is, of course, a matter of opinion. The locality is some four hundred miles further south than C. Solaris has been recorded and the depth is considerably greater than any published for that species. In view of these facts, it seems to me that the absence of cirri and reduction of the centrodorsal plate, combined with the very different terminal combs of the oral pinnules and the absence of plating on disk and oral surface of the arm bases, warrant the recognition of the form by a different name. In C. Solaris the terminal comb of Pi consists of 35-40 segments and occupies nearly half the pinnule ; the shape of the individual teeth is, more- over, very different from what is seen in C. cratera. The comatulid taken by the " Alert " at Port Molle, Queensland, referred by Carpenter to C. Solaris, but specially discussed because of the absence of cirri and the unplated disk, is very possibly a specimen of C. cratera. Lac. — Eight miles east of Sandon Bluffs, New South Wales, 35-40 fathoms. Fourteen specimens. 14 " ENDEAVOUR ' SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. Genus Comanthus, A. H. Clark. COMANTHUS PERPLEXUM,^ Sf. nOV. (Plate III., fig. 2.) Centrodorsal well developed, nearly 5 mm. in diameter, slightly concave ; around its margin is a series of about 15 eirrus-sockets, 7 or 8 of which bear more or less developed cirri ; the largest of these are about 13 mm. long and consist of 16-19 segments, of which the terminal 3 or 4, aside from the claw, carry very insignificant elevations or ridges on the proximal dorsal margin. IBr series, 3, all visible, the axillaries broadly triangular, not in contact interradially. IIBr 4 (3+4), low, broad, smooth and practically without articular tubercles; distal margins distinct, shghtly flaring, especially on IIBr.2 ; the whole series is only 5 mm. long and is nearly 4 mm. wide. IIIBr series 2, except on one IIBr series, where one arm has a IIIBr series 4 (3+4) and the other arm is undivided. There are 4 IVBr series present, all 4 (3+4) and there are thus 44 arms ; these are about 100 mm. long and have approximately 100 segments beyond the last division ; there is a syzygy between 3 and 4, and a second ten to fifteen segments beyond ; after that the syzygial interval is 5, with remarkable uniformity. Brachials quadri- lateral but except near tip of arm, the pinnular side is much wider than the one opposite ; distal margins flaring, thickened and minutely rough but not spinulose. Pinnules rather slender; Pj about 17 mm. long, with 45 segments, of which only the terminal 10 form the comb ; P2 shorter with about 35 segments, 10 in the comb ; P3 remarkably short and weak, scarcely 5 mm. long and consisting of only 18-20 segments, the terminal comb of 7 segments is well-marked ; none of the subsequent pinnules have a comb, but they gradually increase in length to 10 mm. or more, still consisting, however, of about 20 segments ; none of the segments are conspicuously spinu- lose, though the terminal ones are more or less so, but the basal segments are notably triangular. Disk wanting. Colour (dry), uniformly pale fawn ; oral surface of arms and pinnules brownish-black. There is no doubt that this species is very near C. briareus (Bell), but after comparison with numerous specimens, I am unwilling to refer it to that species. The colour is naturally the most striking difference, but, of course, is the least 1. Per pZea;ws= puzzling, in reference to the doubt whether it is really a distinct species. SEA LILIES, STARFISHES, ETC — CLARK. 15 significant ; nevertheless it is noteworthy that all recorded specimens of C. briareus and all of the thirty specimens at hand are blackish-brown, brownish-black, or purplish-black ; one recorded from Western Australia by A. H. Clark has lighter lines on the arm. Aside from colour, the flaring distal margins of the low radials and of the brachials in C. perplexum are quite different from those of C. briareus, while the smoothness of the brachials and pinnules is noticeable, as contrasted with the rough arms of C. briareus. I have carefully compared the single specimen with the descriptions of C. weberi and C. rolula of A. H. Clark, at the kind suggestion of that well-known authority on the group, but the cirri show at once that it is not C. weberi, and the characters of the centrodorsal, the cirri and the brachials seem sufficient to distinguish it from C. rotula. The geographical isolation of this interesting comatuhd is remarkable for no near relative has been taken south of Port Molle and C. briareus is not kno^vn from south of Port Denison, some six hundred miles to the north. Log. — Eleven miles south by east of Ballina, New South Wales, 27-28 fathoms. COMANTHUS PLECTROPHORUM,^ Sp. TIOV. (Plate IV., fig. 1.) Disk about 30 mm. in diameter ; arms rather more than 100 mm. long. Centrodorsal about 10 mm. in diameter and more than 2 mm. thick ; its bare central area is very rough, slightly concave and about 6 mm. across. Cirrus -sockets in three crowded and irregular horizontal series. Cirri LV.-LX., 29-37, usually about 32 ; some proximal segments, say 4-9, are cylindrical and longer than thick, 5 is particularly long ; beyond 10 the distal dorsal margin projects sHghtly, the segments become compressed and a marked dorsal keel is formed, which is most fully developed on the four or five segments preceding the penultimate ; seen from the dorsal side this is more of a tubercle than a keel, but the lateral aspect is very keel-like. Radials entirely concealed ; IBr 1 wide and low, in contact for about three-fourths of their height ; radial axillaries, very low and wide, at least three times as wide as high, not at all in contact with each other. IIBr series 4 (3+4), in one instance only, 2, well separated from each other externally ; internally IIBri are more or less in contact. IIIBr series 1. 7r\yKTpoi'=a, spur-f 0o/96'w=to bear, in reference to the notable spurs on the pinnules. 16 " ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 4 (3+4), in two instances only, 2 ; in the dry specimen the distal margins of this series and the preceding are thickened and shghtly flaring and there is Httle indication of synarthriai tubercles, but in the alcohohc specimen while very slight synarthriai tubercles are indicated the joints are all smooth and indistinct. IVBr series, when present, 4 (3+4) ; not present at all in the dry specimen, but four such series are present in the alcoholic. Arms 40-44, terete ; brachials soon become very markedly triangular, with thickened, flaring, roughened distal margins, but distally they again resume a quadrilateral form and the distal margins are not peculiar. A syzygy occurs between 3 and 4 and then at a variable distance of 8-16 segments ; after the second syzygy there may be a second interval of 8-10 segments, but as a rule syzygies become frequent and very regularly spaced, in one specimen at intervals of 5 segments and in the other at 6 ; that is, in one specimen each syzygial pair is followed by 3 normal segments and then another syzygial pair, while in the other specimen, 4 normal segments intervene. Pinnules long and slender, especially the oral pinnules, of which the first exceeds 30 mm. in length and consists of more than 70 segments ; succeeding pinnules decreasing in length to P4 which is only about 15 mm. long and contains only 20-25 segments. Comb of lowest pinnules consists of about 12-15 segments ; the combs persist as far as P4 on which the comb consists of 7 or 8 segments. Basal segments of all pinnules, except at very tip of arm, much wider than long ; on the basal and middle portions of the arm, 3-12 of these widened segments are conspicuous for their flaring, spinulose margins, which are prolonged on the aboral side into remarkable spinulose spurs ; these spurs are, of course, largest and most fully formed on the basal segments (excepting the lowest two) of the lowest pinnules ; passing distally along the arm, as well as along each pinnule, these spurs become less and less evident and finally disappear. Disk quite fully plated, especially along the food-grooves ; the position of the mouth cannot be determined in these specimens. Colour (of alco- holic specimen) hght brown ; cirri somewhat fighter than arms ; on drying, the colour becomes uniformly fight fawn or very pale buff. This is a very well characterised and remarkable Comanthus, related to C. bennetti and C. pinguis, but easily distinguished from either, by the curious pinnule segments. The small number of arms and the colour will further distinguish it from C. bennetti, while the shape of the arms, especially at SEA LILIES, STARFISHES, ETC. — CLARK. 17 base, separate it from C. pinguis. From the South AustraUan species C. trichoptera, the size, the cirri and the pinnules all distinguish it without difficulty. Loc. — East of Flinders Island, Bass Strait, 100-300 fathoms. Two specimens. COMANTHUS SPANOSCHISTUM,! Sp. nov. (Plate IV., fig. 3.) Disk 5-12 mm. in diameter ; arms 30-80 mm. long. Centro- dorsal large and flat, 5 mm. in diameter in adults, and about 1 mm. thick. Cirri, in one or in two imperfect series, about XXIV., 15-20 ; the longest are 10-15 mm. long ; segments 4-7 or 3-8 are cylindrical and longer than wide, segment 4 (or 5) may be nearly twice as long as thick ; distally the segments are a trifle compressed and the distal margin dorsally is elevated to form a low tubercle, which, at least on the pen- ultimate segment, is spiniform. Radials hidden ; IBr 1 low and wide, more or less in contact ; radial axillary triangular, high and pointed, the height about two-thirds of the width. IIBr series, not often developed; when present, invariably 4 (3-J-4) ; arms usually 10, in one specimen 13, in another 14, and in a third 19; No IIIBr series is developed. Brachials at first quadrilateral, but soon becoming triangular ; distal margins becoming more and more flaring and overlapping until near tip of arm where the brachials become quadrilateral again and the margins hardly flare. Syzygies between 3 and 4 and then at an interval of 7-11 segments ; after that the syzygial interval is usually 5, but may be only 3. Pinnules long and slender ; Pi is over 10 mm. long and consists of about 30 segments, of which about 15 make up the comb ; P2 is somewhat smaller and P3 is only 8 mm. long and consists of 20 segments, 9 in the comb ; P^ is 8 mm. long, but has no comb ; succeeding pinnules become more slender and increase in length to about 10 mm. ; basal segments of lower pinnules, more or less triangular with greatly flaring, spinulose margins which tend to project like rough spurs on the aboral side of the largest segments, much as in the preceding species {C. plectrophorum). Disk, except around tip of anal tube, smooth and naked ; there are calcareous nodules in the anal tube. Mouth interradial. Colour, in alcohol and dry, more or less yellowish, with either a green or a brown cast ; one 1. (r7ro»/o'?=rare4-ff;;^<