The Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. 255 



are only bluntly pointed. Actinolateral plates about 40 in each area; 

 the series next to the adambulacrals extends out only as far as the 

 fifth inferomarginal ; beyond that the infero marginals abut directly 

 on the adambulacrals; actinal areas covered so closely with coarse 

 granules like those on the inferomarginals that it is almost impossible 

 to make out the plates; near the oral plates are two or three very 

 simple and slightly differentiated pectinate pedicellariae, formed by 

 the marginal granules of adjoining plates. 



Adambulacral plates '28-30 in each series, about as long as wide 

 or longer, markedly convex on inner margin and slightly swollen on 

 the oral surface. Each plate, on proximal half of ray at least, carries 

 a marginal series of 0, rarely 7, spines, subequal as to length (about 

 1 mm.) or the first and last shortest, the middle pair most slender 

 and distal pair evidently the stoutest; on the oral surface of each 

 plate are two or three slightly oblique series of 2-4 blunt well-spaced 

 spinelets or granules; those nearest the furrow margin are most spine- 

 like, while those of the opposite margin are only granules; one 

 spinelet of the series nearest the furrow or of the next series, is 

 somewhat enlarged and distally becomes conspicuous as a thick, 

 blunt but not very long subarnbulacral spine ; not rarely two such 

 spines occur on a plate, especially near tip of arm. Oral plates not 

 much swollen; each plate carries two series of 8-10 spinelets, one 

 along the sutural margin, the other following the outer margin; in 

 each series, the longest spines are proximal and they become shorter 

 and stouter distally quite rapidly ; sometimes there is an isolated 

 spine between the two series. Whether an unpaired median spine 

 is present at the tip of the jaw is not easy to determine in the 

 holotype as the jaws are turned upward into the mouth. But on at 

 least one jaw it seemed to be present while on another it was almost 

 certainly wanting. Colour, uniformly brownish-yellow. 



P.F. 17965. Cape Point, N. 4P E., 38 miles. 315-400 fms. S., 

 blk. sp. 3 specimens; very young. 



P.F. 18904. 36 40' S., 21 26' E., 200 fms. Gr. s. 1 specimen, adult, 



Holotype, South African Museum, no. A 6430, P.F. 18904. 



The specimens from 17965 are not only young but are in very 

 poor condition and it is not impossible that they are the young of 

 tessellatus or even that they represent some other species. The tips 

 of the arms are missing and the granules are largely rubbed off 

 from both surfaces. The holotype however is in good condition and 

 I have little doubt that it is quite a different species from any as 

 yet described. The short wide rays with the almost horizontal 

 marginals give it a very characteristic appearance. In the young 



