2 Sample selection

We report on the NIR H band observations of 558 optically-selected galaxies, for the most part (457) of early-type morphology, found in the regions of the Coma Supercluster and of the Virgo cluster. There are 383 early-type galaxies in the CGCG catalogue ( $m\rm _p \le$ 15.7) (Zwicky et al. 1961-68) that are members of the Coma supercluster ( $\rm 18^o \le \delta \le 32^o$; $\rm 11.5^h \le \alpha \le 13.5^h$), according to Gavazzi et al. (1999), i.e. with 5000 < V < 8000 kms^-1. Of these, we have observed 372 objects, which constitute 97% of the designated sample.

We also observed 81 of the 98 early-type galaxies brighter than $m_{\rm p}$=14.0 listed in the VCC catalogue (Binggeli et al. 1985) which are bona-fide members of the Virgo cluster. Thus we have observed 83% of the giant early-type galaxies in Virgo.

The remaining 101 observations of spiral galaxies given here do not form a complete sample in any sense. However, they are necessary to define a complete data set. When combined with data published in Papers I and II (both of which were devoted to observations of spiral galaxies) Paper IV of this series and B97 (which contains mainly measurements of spiral galaxies in Virgo), the NIR survey presented in this series of papers represents a complete, optically selected sample of galaxies, which will be analyzed in future papers.

The first 9 columns of Table 1 give the optical parameters of the 558 galaxies studied in the present work as follows:
Column 1: CGCG (Zwicky et al. 1961-68) or VCC (Binggeli et al. 1985) denomination.
Column 2: NGC/IC names.
Columns 3, 4: adopted (1950) celestial coordinates, measured by us or taken from NED, with few arcsec uncertainty.
Column 5: "aggregation'' parameter. This parameter defines the membership to a group/cluster/supercluster: CSisol, CSpairs, CSgroups indicate members of the Coma Supercluster ( 5000 < V < 8000 kms^-1); CSforeg means objects in the foreground of the Coma Supercluster (V < 5000 kms^-1) and CSbackg means objects in the background of the Coma Supercluster (V > 8000 kms^-1). Galaxies in the Virgo region are labelled following the membership criteria given by Binggeli et al. (1993): VCA, VCB, VCM, VCW, VCW', VCSE, VCmem, are members to the cluster A or B, to the M, W, W' or South-East clouds or are not better specified members to the Virgo cluster respectively. NOVCC are galaxies taken from the CGCG in the outskirts of Virgo, but outside the area covered by the VCC. VCback are galaxies in the background of the Virgo cluster (V > 3000 kms^-1).
Column 6: photographic magnitude as given in the CGCG or in the VCC.
Columns 7, 8: for CGCG galaxies these are the major and minor optical diameters (a₂₅, b₂₅) (in arcmin) derived at the B band $25^{{\rm th}}$ mag arcsec^-2, as explained in Gavazzi & Boselli (1996). These diameters are consistent with those given in the RC3. For VCC galaxies these are the diameters measured on the du Pont plates at the faintest detectable isophote, as listed in the VCC.
Column 9: morphological type.