Phototaxis among crinoids

Vol. _XXII, pp. 87-90 ^April 17,

1909

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

GENERAL NOTES.

THE TYPE OF THE GENUS COM ASTER.

The

genus Comaster

was

establislied

by

Professor Agassiz ⁱⁿ 1836 to contain the

comatnhds

inwhich the rays divide

more

than once.

He

cites as the type Comatula multiradiata

Lamarck. The

_specific

name

multiradiata

was

firstused

by

Linnaeus in 1758, the typespecimen being

stillextantatLund.

Lamarck

includesunder hisComatulamultiradiata asaquestiona1)le

synonym

the Asterias multiradiataofLinnipus. Ihave previously considered the multiradiata of

Lamarck

to be a

synonym

^of the multiradiataofLinnaeusbecauseofthis,

and

becauseoneof

Lamarck's

specimens^isidenticalwith the Linnaean _type.

But

the casecan not be disposed of so easily. In 1832 Goldfuss described

and

figured another multiradiata based

upon

^a specimen ^at

Bonn.

Miiller, in revising the group, decided that the

name

multiradiata

must

holdforthe_species

which had

been adequately described—^thatof

Goldfuss—and

^heredescribedthe

Lamarckian

Comatulamultiradiataunderthe

name

Alecto multifidafrom observations

made _by

Troschel

on

Lamarck's _specimens. ^{This action} fixesthe identity^of the

Comattda

multiradiata of

Lamarck,

and, there- fore, of the type^ofComaster. Alecto multifida^isa

somewhat anomalous

species, congeneric with,though notclosely relatedto,Plianogenia typica ofLoven. Comaster must,therefore,supplant Phanogenia. This leaves the genus

which

I have _previouslycalled Comaster withouta

name.

It

may

^becalledCapillaster, thetype^tobeActinometrasentosa P.

H.

Car- penter, ^1888.

The

_type of Comasteris

Comatula

multiradiata

Lamarck

(not Asterias mtdtiradiata Linnaeus)

=

Alecto multifida^{3. Miiller.}

—

Austin

H.

Clark.

PHOTOTAXIS AMONG CRINOIDS.

While

on boardthe Albatross

among

the Philippine Islands,Dr. Paul Bartsch captured ^asmall specimen ^of Iridometra

nana

which liad been attractedto,

and was swimming

^{about, a}

submerged

^{electriclight. Sofar}

as I

know

thisisthefirstrecordof positivephototaxis

among

^thecrinoids.

Itshould be

remembered

that thespecimen^isonlyabout half the adult size,as it is possible,

and

even probable, that the reactions^of the adult of this speciesare quite^difierent.

—

Austin

H.

Clark.

12—Pruc. Biol. Soc. Wash.,Vol. XXII, 1909. (87)