Crinoids Research Articles

Antedon Rosaceus (Comatula Rosacea)

THE communication from Major Fred. H. Lang in NATURE, vol. xiv. p. 527, as to the abundant capture of Comatula rosacea in Torbay by himself and Mr. Hunt with the dredge during last month, is a valuable contribution to the study of the question of the appearance and disappearance of certain marine animals in certain localities respecting which we know so little. It is specially interesting to the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, and as president of the Society and reporter during the marine excursion to Teignmouth in 1873, alluded to by Major Lang, I must say that I read it with very great surprise and pleasure. My knowledge of the locality has extended over a period of about thirteen years, and during that time I have on several occasions dredged the ground which he mentions, and never once succeeded in taking an adult specimen of the rosy feather star, much less the more interesting pedunculate form of it. I have not, however, dredged there since our marine excursion. Mr. Gosse, whose experience is very large, and who resides in the neighbourhood, to whom I showed our mounted specimens, had never before seen the animal in that form, and there is no mention made of the adult animal in any of his descriptive works except in “A Year at the Shore,” where at p. 182 he states, “We sometimes but very rarely find on this coast a very lovely form of this class of animals.…. Comainla rosacea, a fine specimen of which, taken by myself in a little cove near Torquay, I have delineated.” This was written in 1864. In the year previously, I believe, Prof. Allman dredged the same locality, and communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburgh a paper “On a pre-brachial stage in the development of Comatula,” founded on a single specimen which he took on the occasion. It is a most remarkable circumstance, therefore, that in the space of about three years the species should have become numerous to the extent alluded to by Major Lang, more than a hundred being taken in one haul of the dredge! The marine naturalist who year by year finds his favourite specimens disappearing on many parts of the coast, will derive some consolation from Major Lang's communication as a set-off to disappointments elsewhere. I notice that Major Lang uses—as I did in 1873—the nomenclature, Comatula rosacea of Lamarck. Will be forgive me informing him of what I was then ignorant— that Dr. Carpenter, revening to the previous designation of Freminville, has adopred Antedon rosaceus—and at the same time directing his attention to the two wonderful and exhaustive monographs on the animal in the Philosophical Transactions:— (l) “On the Embryogeny of Antedon rosaceus,” by Sir Wyville Thomson, at page 513, for the year 1865, and (2) “Researches on the Structure, Physiology, and Development of Antedon rosaccus,” by Dr. Carpenter, at page 671, for the year 1866?

Antedon rosacens (Comatula rosacea)

THE communication from Major Fred. H. Lang in NATURE, vol. xiv. p. 527, as to the abundant capture of Comatula rosacea in Torbay by himself and Mr. Hunt with the dredge during last month, is a valuable contribution to the study of the question of the appearance and disappearance of certain marine animals in certain localities respecting which we know so little. It is specially interesting to the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, and as president of the Society and reporter during the marine excursion to Teignmouth in 1873, alluded to by Major Lang, I must say that I read it with very great surprise and pleasure. My knowledge of the locality has extended over a period of about thirteen years, and during that time I have on several occasions dredged the ground which he mentions, and never once succeeded in taking an adult specimen of the rosy feather star, much less the more interesting pedunculate form of it. I have not, however, dredged there since our marine excursion. Mr. Gosse, whose experience is very large, and who resides in the neighbourhood, to whom I showed our mounted specimens, had never before seen the animal in that form, and there is no mention made of the adult animal in any of his descriptive works except in “A Year at the Shore,” where at p. 182 he states, “We sometimes but very rarely find on this coast a very lovely form of this class of animals.…. Comainla rosacea, a fine specimen of which, taken by myself in a little cove near Torquay, I have delineated.” This was written in 1864. In the year previously, I believe, Prof. Allman dredged the same locality, and communicated to the Royal Society of Edinburgh a paper “On a pre-brachial stage in the development of Comatula,” founded on a single specimen which he took on the occasion. It is a most remarkable circumstance, therefore, that in the space of about three years the species should have become numerous to the extent alluded to by Major Lang, more than a hundred being taken in one haul of the dredge! The marine naturalist who year by year finds his favourite specimens disappearing on many parts of the coast, will derive some consolation from Major Lang's communication as a set-off to disappointments elsewhere. I notice that Major Lang uses—as I did in 1873—the nomenclature, Comatula rosacea of Lamarck. Will be forgive me informing him of what I was then ignorant— that Dr. Carpenter, revening to the previous designation of Fréminville, has adopred Antedon rosaceus—and at the same time directing his attention to the two wonderful and exhaustive monographs on the animal in the Philosophical Transactions:— (l) “On the Embryogeny of Antedon rosaceus,” by Sir Wyville Thomson, at page 513, for the year 1865, and (2) “Researches on the Structure, Physiology, and Development of Antedon rosaccus,” by Dr. Carpenter, at page 671, for the year 1866?

4. On the Structure of the Palœozoic Crinoids

AbstractThe best known living representatives of the Echinoderm Class CRINOIDEA are the genera Antedon and Pentacrinus—the former the feather stars, tolerably common in all seas; the latter the stalked sea lilies, whose only ascertained habitat, until lately, was the deeper portion of the sea of the Antilles, whence they were rarely recovered by being accidentally entangled on fishing lines. Within the last few years Mr Robert Damon, the well-known dealer in natural history objects in Weymouth, has procured a considerable number of specimens of the two West-indian Pentacrini, and Dr Carpenter and the author had an opportunity of making very detailed observations both on the hard and the soft parts. These observations will shortly be published.

On some new Silurian [Ordovician] crinoids and shells

On some new Silurian [Ordovician] crinoids and shells

On the Structure of the Palæozoic Crinoids*

THE best known living representatives of the Echinoderm class Crinoidea are the genera Antedon and Pentacrinus—the former the feather stars, tolerably common in all seas; the latter the stalked sea-lilies, whose only ascertained habitat, until lately, was the deeper portion of the sea of the Antilles, whence they were rarely recovered by being accidentally entangled on fishing-lines. Within the last few years Mr. Robert Damon, the well-known dealer in natural history objects in Weymouth, has procured a considerable number of specimens of the two West Indian Pentacrini, and Dr. Carpenter and the author had an opportunity of making very detailed observations both on the hard and the soft parts. These observations will shortly be published.