Neocomatella

Summers, Mindi M., Messing, Charles G. & Rouse, Greg W., 2017, The genera and species of Comatulidae (Comatulida: Crinoidea): taxonomic revisions and a molecular and morphological guide, Zootaxa 4268 (2), pp. 151-190 : 168

Neocomatella AH Clark, 1909d

Table 1

Type species. Antedon alata Pourtalès, 1878.

Other included taxa (2). Antedon pulchella ( Pourtalès, 1878) ; Neocomatella europaea AH Clark, 1913a.

Diagnosis. Mouth subcentral; up to 20 (rarely to 23) arms; centrodorsal circular, small to moderately thick, more than 15 cirri always present; IBr2 series united by synarthry; first syzygy at 3+4 on arms arising from IBr; IIBr of two ossicles united by synarthry; arms arising from IIBr with first syzygies at 1+2 and 3+4; distal intersyzygial interval irregular, 5–19; pinnule combs to P3–P6; comb teeth triangular, confluent with outside edge of pinnule; proximal teeth arising gradually; comb not tapering significantly distally.

Distribution. Tropical western Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico and Bahamas to Ilha Rasa off Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and northeastern Atlantic from Western Sahara to Brittany, France (AH Clark 1931; AM Clark 1980; Meyer et al. 1978; Tommasi 1965). Depth range: 10–1700 m. Western Atlantic N. pulchella has been recorded between 35 and 567 m, with most recorded in 150–400 m (AH Clark 1931; Meyer et al. 1978), and with a single specimen collected in 10 m (Meyer 1973). Northeastern Atlantic N. europaea occurs at depths of 400–1,700 m (AH Clark 1931).

Remarks. Meyer et al. (1978, following Messing, unpublished thesis) treated N. alata as a junior synonym of N. pulchella following Carpenter (1881). However, additional genetic and morphological analyses are required to clarify the number of western Atlantic taxa.