Comatella nigra ( Carpenter, 1888 )

Mohammednowshad, B., Idreesbabu, K. K., Parameswaran, Usha V., Messing, Charles G. & Sureshkumar, S., 2020, The Shallow-water Crinoid Fauna of Lakshadweep Atolls, North-western Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4789 (1), pp. 247-265 : 250-251

Comatella nigra ( Carpenter, 1888)

Actinometra nigra Carpenter, 1888:58 , 304, 309, 367, 381.

Comatella nigra: A.H. Clark, 1908b:207 , 208; 1931:91, 92–98, pl. 1 (fig.1), pl. 2 (fig. 2), pl. 3 (fig. 3); A.M. Clark & Rowe, 1971:15; Summers et al. 2017:157 (fig. 1G–L), 158 (fig. 2).

Material examined.— Western outer reef of Kavaratti I., 10.867N, 72.167E, 14 m, 1 Dec 2018, Mohammed Sharafudheen, coll. (1 specimen, MTRLDST E0233).

Diagnosis.— The largest species of Comatella . Fully developed specimens with up to 80 arms (usually 40–45) up to 170 mm long; up to ~30 cirri with 37 segments, ~ 42 mm long (usually up to 30 segments and 30 mm long). Distal facets of axils beyond IBr are asymmetrical and orient obliquely to the radial plane of the individual, so that the rays are distinctly twisted (A.H. Clark, 1931; A.M. Clark & Rowe, 1971; Messing, 1998a, 2001).

Description of survey specimen.— Arms 48, 140 mm length; cirri well developed, ~XXVIII, 29, 19 mm long, with aboral tubercles. Color: Dark red-purple; cirri paler red-purple; tiny pale blue flecks densely covering pinnule bases, scattered on arms, denser distally.

Habitat.— In reef crevice.

Distribution.— From Lakshadweep and the Maldives in the west to Palau and Papua New Guinea in the east, including ANI, and from tropical Australia (Houtman Abrolhos, WA, to Lady Elliott I., QLD) to the Ryukyu Is., Japan (A.H. Clark, 1931; A.M. Clark & Rowe, 1971; Rowe & Gates 1995; Kogo, 2002; Messing, 2007; Sastry & Satyanarayana, 2009, Mekhova & Britayev, 2012, and this study). Depth range: shoreline to 106 m (A.H. Clark, 1931).