STARFISHES 209 



GENUS Astropecten 



A. articularis. The body is flat and smooth ; the rays sharply 

 pointed and conspicuously bordered with marginal ossicles and fringed 

 with short spines; two rows of ambulacral feet; color rich purple. 

 Found in shallow waters of South Atlantic coast on sandy bottoms. 

 (Plate LII.) 



GENUS Psilaster 



P. florae. Diameter four to five inches; arms sharply pointed and 

 conspicuously bordered with large ossicles ; body flat, with smooth sur- 

 face, the ossicles seeming like mosaic ; bright pinkish flesh-color. It 

 occurs in deep water off the eastern coast as far south as New Jersey. 



GENUS Luidia 



This genus of starfishes is celebrated for its peculiar habit of 

 breaking in pieces when taken from the water, and therefore good 

 specimens are almost impossible to obtain. 



L. senegalensis. Twelve to fourteen inches across ; arms long and 

 narrow, tapering to a point and fringed on the edges with spines ; sur- 

 face rather smooth, showing the separation of the ossicles ; color almost 

 white, with dark line running through the center of each arm ; usually 

 nine arms. Found in shallow water on the coasts of Florida and the 

 Gulf of Mexico. 



L. clathrata. Four to five inches across ; light-colored ; with a 

 fringe of spines on the margins of the arms, which taper to a point ; 

 two rows of ambulacra. It is found from New Jersey southward, and is 

 one of the most common starfishes on the sandy beaches of North and 

 South Carolina. (Plate LII.) 



L. alternata. Upper surface purplish, with irregular yellowish bands 

 on the arms ; under surface yellow. Found in shallow water on the 

 Florida coast. 



FAMILY PENTAGONASTEBIDJE 



GENUS Mediaster 



M. cequalis. Body flat ; the five rays equal or exceed in length the 

 diameter of the disk ; margins have double row of large plates ; surface 

 covered with granules, which are easily rubbed off ; bright red above, 

 pale orange below ; diameter four inches. Common on the coasts of 

 Oregon and California. 



FAMILY ANTHENEID.E 



GENUS Hippasteria 



H. phrygiana. This beautiful starfish lives in deep water, but is 

 sometimes thrown up on the beach, and ranges from Cape Cod north- 



