354 VERRILL 



rier, 1886, as Asterias). Of these, 5". rugispina, appears to be dis- 

 tinct by reason of its large, wide, obtuse minor pedicellariae, and 

 few, capitate and sulcate dorsal spines. S. perrieri Smith, from 

 Kerguelen Island, is regularly six-rayed ; 5\ rupicola Verrill, from 

 the same place, a smaller, five-rayed form, with many spines and 

 few and minute pedicellarise, is apparently distinct. (See below, p. 

 356.) All the others may well belong to a single species, for which 

 S. antarctica (Liitken) seems to be the correct name. 



ANASTERIAS (Perrier) restricted. 



In addition to all the above forms, Leipoldt includes in the same 

 composite species the following, which have a rudimentary or partly 

 abortive dorsal skeleton ; few small imbedded spinules ; and a thick 

 dermis that conceals the plates, and largely the spinules. These 

 constitute, with others, the restricted genus Anasterias (Lysasterias 

 Fisher) : Anasterias ntinuta Perrier, 1875 (type) ; A. perrieri (Stu- 

 der), 1884 (now Smith) ; A. verrillii (Bell, 1881, as Asterias). Also 

 Calvasterias stolidota Sladen. 



Fisher (1908, p. 88) proposed the name Lysasterias to replace 

 Anasterias Ludwig, with Asterias perrieri Studer, of South Georgia, 

 as the type, assuming that A. minuta belongs to a distinct genus and 

 is identical with S. rugispina, etc. However, the original description 

 by Perrier shows that it has only isolated dorsal plates, covered with 

 a thick dermis ; few imbedded dorsal spinules ; numerous pedicellarise, 

 and most of the other characters as in A. perrieri Studer and A. 

 studeri Perrier. Therefore, it is most likely the young of one of these 

 or of some other closely allied species of the same group, and not the 

 young of rugispina, nor of spirabilis, as has been thought, for the 

 young of that group, when of similar size, have a reticulated dorsal 

 skeleton, abundance of spines, and the dermis not thick enough to 

 conceal the plates. Hence, I consider Lysasterias Fisher a synonym 

 of Anasterias. 



Since the specific name, Asterias perrieri Studer (1884), was pre- 

 occupied by A. perrieri Smith, 1876, it requires a new name. There- 

 fore, I propose to call it ANASTERIAS LYSASTERIA. 



To the genus Anasterias (restr.) Ludwig (1905, p. 42) added, 

 besides the two species above named, three new species from deeper 

 water, southwest of Cape Horn. The described species are as 

 follows : 



