BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WOODS HOLE AND VICINITY. 



609 



Asterias forbesi Continued. 



Food: Oysters, clams, mussels, barnacles, vari- 

 ous kinds of gasteropods, worms, and Crustacea; 

 occasionally smaller starfishes of their own 

 species. Mead. The starfish is of great eco- 

 nomic interest as one of the most destructive 

 enemies of the oyster. 



Asterias tenera Stimpson. 



Verrill and Smith, 1873, P- 7*9 (Leptasterias 

 compta); Verrill, 18953, p. 209 (Leptasterias 

 compta), p. 210 (L. tenera); Clark, 1904, p. 



554; i95' P- 4- 



Abundant in the cold areas south of Rhode 

 Island and Marthas Vineyard, in 20 to 50 fath- 

 oms.- Verrill. Very common off Sankaty 

 Head. Clark. Fish Hawk station 7609*, at 

 Crab Ledge in 25 fathoms. Survey. Said to 

 . be without metamorphosis, the young being 

 cared for by the mother, to which they are 

 attached. Clark. 



Asterias uulgaris Verrill. Northern starfish; pur- 

 ple starfish. [Chart 49.] 



Verrill and Smith, 1873, p. 718, 389, etc.; Ver- 

 rill, iSgsa, p. 207; Mead, 1900, p. 203-224; 

 Clark, 1904, p. 553; 1905, p. 4; Sumner, 1910, 

 fig. 21. 



Near entrance of Vineyard Sound and off Gay 

 Head. Verrill. Woods Hole Harbor, occa- 

 sional; Gay Head; Cuttyhunk; Crab Ledge; 

 Sankaty Head. Clark. Dredged by the Sur- 

 vey in Vineyard Sound, chiefly western half; 

 Crab Ledge (common); rare in Buzzards Bay 

 and probably restricted to the lower end; 3 to 

 25 fathoms, on bottoms of sand, gravel, stones, 

 or shells; not common in mud. At Gay Head 

 they have been taken from piles. 



Fish Hawk stations: 7537 bis (i large, several 

 small), 7541 (i), 7545 (i medium sized), 7546 



Asterias vulgaris Continued. 



bis (i large), 7547 (i), 7547 bis (i large), 7552 

 bis ( 2 ). 7553 (several), 7556 (few), 7557 (i) 

 7558 (many), 7561 (several), 7562 (several), 

 7564 (abundant), 7567 (few, very small), 7569 

 (i small), 7570 (i), 7572 (2), 7579 (few), 7581 

 (about 10), 7582 (few), 7583 (few), 7584 (few), 

 7585 (2), 75 8 6 (i), 7588 (i small), 7591 (i), 7592 

 (many), 7593 (few), 7594* (few), 7595 (few), 

 7596 (several), 7599 (many), 7600 (few), 7601 

 (i), 7602 (i), 7603 (few), 7604 (2), 7605, 7606 

 (few), 7607 (i small), 7608 (several), 7609* 

 (few), 7627 (? i), 7638 (? several), 7645 (? i), 

 7648 ( ? 2 small), 7657 ( ? i large), 7670 (several 

 large), 7671 (4), 7672 (i), 7676 (4), 7678 (per- 

 haps 80, mostly large), 7679 (several), 7680 

 (several), 7681 (many), 7686 (2), 7689 (several 

 small), 7690 (small), 7699 (2), 7700 (many), 

 7701 (many), 7702 (many), 7703 (few), 7706 

 (many), 7707 (few), 7708 (few), 7709 (many), 

 7717 (few), 7719 (few), 7720 (few;, 7721 (few), 

 7722 (few), 7723 (i), 7724 (several, medium 

 sized), 7725 (i), 7726 (several), 7727 (3), 7728 

 (i large, several small), 7730 (2), 7731 (6), 7732 

 (i large), 7733 (2 large, living), 7734 (i), 7735 

 (O, 773 6 (several), 7737 (i small), 7741 (3). 

 Supplementary station (1909): 7672 (severaJ 

 small). 



Phalarope and Blue Wing stations: 5 (i), 27 (i 

 adult), 32 ( i very small), 35 (i small), 44 (sev- 

 eral large and small), 45 (2), 46 (2), 52 (several), 

 55 (i), 56(1), 57 (several), 58 (many small), 

 59 (few), 64 (few), 65 (i small), 77 (i), 83 (i 

 small), 86 (2 small), 87 (several), in (small), 

 116. Supplementary station (1909): 83. 



Young taken in August at Gay Head and other 

 points. Clark. 



Class OPHIUROIDEA. 



Family OPHIURID^. 



Ophioderma brevispina (Say). 



Verrill and Smith, 1873, p. 719, 363, etc. 

 (Ophiura olivacea); Bumpus, iSgSb, p. 857 

 (Ophiura brevispina) Clark, 1904, p. 558; 1905, 

 p. 5 (Ophi'itra brevispina). 



Woods Hole, Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound, 

 not common; found among eelgrass on sandy 

 shores, especially in tide pools, in sheltered 

 localities. Verrill. North Falmouth Harbor, 

 Marion, New Bedford; Buzzards Bay, the 

 northern limit. Clark. West Falmouth; a 

 fragment from Hadley Harbor. G. M. Gray. 



Ophioderma b revispi na Continued . 



Fish Hawk stations: 7644 ( ? i arm), 7650 (2 arms, 

 identified by W. L. Sperry). 



Begins to breed the second week in July. 

 Grave, cited by Bumpus. 



Family OPHIOLEPIDID^B. 



Ophiura robiista (Ayres). 



Clark, 1904, p. 558; 1905, p. 5 (Ophioglypha 

 robusta). 



A northern form, just entering the region; taken 

 at Crab Ledge, 17 fathoms. 



