SHALLOW- WATER STARFISHES 26 1 



fine specimens ; but it is more common in 10 to 50 fathoms or more. 

 Large specimens are often taken on the Newfoundland Banks and 

 the fishing banks, off Nova Scotia, by the fishermen, in 40 to 100 

 fathoms, on their deep-sea lines. It was taken by the U. S. Fish 

 Commission, at many stations, in 5 to 179 fathoms, mostly on hard 

 bottoms, from Newfoundland Banks to off Cape Cod. 



On the Pacific side it occurs from the Arctic Ocean south to 

 Vancouver Island, in shallow water; and on the coast of Siberia. 



I have examined specimens from many localities: Bering Island, 

 eleven-rayed (N. Grebnitsky) ; Point Franklin (Murdoch), No. 

 7626; and Cape Prince of Wales (W. H. Dall), No. 6059, U. S. 

 National Museum ; near Victoria, British Columbia, one, nine-rayed ; 

 one, ten-rayed; one, eleven-rayed (Prov. Mus. B. C.) ; Berg Bay, 

 eleven-rayed (W. R. Coe) ; Puget Sound (Mus. Comp. Zool.) ; 

 several, good; Vancouver Island (Professor J. Macoun, Canadian 

 Geological Survey, 1909), many good. 



Dr. Fisher records it from certain localities, from Bering Strait 

 to Washington, and from low tide to 283 fathoms; but mostly in 

 from 5 to 50 fathoms, on hard bottoms. 



Asterias affinis and A. alboverrucosa Brandt were probably 

 identical with this species of Crossaster, but the descriptions were 

 very brief and imperfect, having been based entirely on figures of 

 young specimens. Both were one inch in diameter of disk ; length of 

 rays, seven lines. Both were described as having ten rays, with 

 large, scattered clusters of dorsal spinules ("papillae"), and as 

 resembling A. papposa. The number of rays cannot be regarded as 

 a specific character. From the descriptions, both might, without 

 hesitation, be referred to C. papposus, which is the form found in 

 the same region, Bering Sea, where his supposed species were found, 

 and where no other similar species has been obtained by modern col- 

 lectors. 



The Crossaster affinis Danielssen and Koren, 1 from the North 

 Atlantic (C. koreni Verrill), is not to be considered the same as 

 Brandt's affinis, which appears to be an ordinary ten-rayed papposus, 

 the difference in the number of rays being the only difference given, 



1 This is referred to C. papposus by Ludwig and others, but the differences, 

 as described and figured by Danielssen and Koren (1884, pp. 44-4?, pi- ix, 

 figs. 7, 8, 14), seem to be of specific value notably the shorter and closer 

 dorsal paxillae; the increased number and shorter adambulacral spines; the 

 larger actinal interradial areas, with larger ossicles ; and the trifid odontophore. 



As it seems to have had no tenable name, I would propose for it C. KORENI. 

 It has not been found on the Atlantic coast of America. 



