NO. I. ECHINODERMS OF CONNECTICUT. 59 



vicinity. The order Spinulosa, represented by the beautiful little 

 blood starfish, Henricia sanguinolenta, includes the more primi- 

 tive forms, in which the disk and rays are everywhere thickly 

 covered with minute spines, but there are no pedicellariae. In 

 this order there are but two rows of tube-feet. The order Forcip- 

 ulata includes our three species of Asterias. In this order the 

 disk and rays have scattered coarse spines, and very numerous 

 pedicellarise. There are usually four rows of tube-feet. 



Our native species may be distinguished by the following 

 characters : 



1. Disk and rays comparatively smooth, covered with minute, 



closely set spines; pedicellarise absent; tube-feet in two 

 rows ......................... Henricia sanguinolenta 



Disk and rays rough, with coarse spines; forceps-like pedi- 

 cellariae abundant; tube-feet in four rows ............. 2 



2. Rays nearly cylindrical, tapering and slender; spines very 



numerous, slender, sharply pointed, usually surrounded 

 with a broad wreath of small pedicellariae ............... 



Asterias tenera 

 Rays broad, somewhat flattened; spines thick and blunt. . . .3 



3. Rays blunt at the ends ; skeleton quite firm ; spines scattered ; 



pedicellariae near ambulacral grooves short and broad; 

 madreporic plate usually orange ........ Asterias forbesi 



Rays pointed at the ends; skeleton rather soft; spines scat- 

 tered, but often forming a rather distinct median longi- 

 tudinal row on the aboral side of each ray; pedicellariae 

 near ambulacral grooves slender; madreporic plate pale 

 yellow ............................. Asterias vulgaris 



Asterias forbesi (Desor) 

 Common Starfish 



Plate I, fig. 4 ; Plates II, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII. 



This well-known pest of the oyster is found along the Atlantic 

 coast from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine, and is the only species 

 of starfish which is common in the greater portion of Long Island 

 Sound. 



The species is so generally distributed in the Sound that the 

 mention of specific localities would be superfluous. As a rule it 



