'280 Annals of the South African Museum. 



Adainbulacral spines 2 (or sometimes 3). 



No big subambulacral spine ; actinal intermediate plates with 3 6 

 spinelets ...... Asterina coccinea. 



A big subambulacral spine on the surface of each adambulacral 

 plate; actinal intermediate plates with only 1 or 2 spinelets. 

 Abactinal spinulation, granuliform. 



Abactinal granules coarse ; many actinal intermediate plates 

 with 2 spines each ; subambulacral spine very large, blunt 

 or truncate .... Asterina dyscrita. 



Abactinal granules rather fine ; actinal intermediate plates 



nearly always with 1 spine each; subambulacral spine not 



disproportionately big, pointed. Asterina exigua. 



Abactinal spinulation spiniform, the spmelets rather long but 



stout and blunt; actinal intermediate plates usually with 1 spine 



each ; subambulacral spine very large, blunt or truncate 



Asterina calcarata. 



Adambulacral spines 3 or 4, with 2 or more spines on the surface of 

 each plate. 



Abactinal spinelets thick, blunt, crowded ; actinal spines relatively 

 long, blunt .... Asterina liideritziana. 



Abactinal spinelets short, delicate, sharp, well-spaced; actinal spinelets 

 very similar .... Asterina gracilispina. 



Body very flat and thin ; r = 2~5 5 v. d. at center of disk. 



Rays 9 ...... Anseropoda novemradiata. 



Rays 5 ...... Anseropoda habracantJia. 



* PARASTERINA BELLULA. 

 Patiria bellitla Sladen, 1889. CHALLENGER Ast., p. 385; pi. 63, figs. 1, 2. 



The original specimens of this species were taken by the CHALLENGER 

 in shallow water, Simons Bay, Cape of Good Hope. So far as I know 

 it has not been met with since except by the SCOTIA which took one 

 specimen in Saldanha Bay. Fisher (1908. Smiths. Misc. Coll., vol. 52, 

 p. 90) called attention to the error in using the generic term Patiria 

 and suggested Parasterina, but he did not publish the combination 

 of the latter name with bellida. Sladen emphasizes the non-imbri- 

 cation of the abactinal plates, using that as the one distinctive cha- 

 racter in his key. Fisher does .the same in his key to the genera 

 of Asterinidae (1911, Bull. 7(> U. S. Nat. Mus., p. 253) and as I have 

 never seen an authentic specimen of Parasterina, I can only follow 

 in the steps of these eminent predecessors. I may add however that 

 I am not convinced of the great importance of imbrication as a 

 generic character; for the degree of imbrication is subject to indivi- 

 dual diversity, especially in the long-rayed Asterinas. I think the 

 relationship between Parasterina and such Asterinas as granifera and 

 penicillaris needs a careful re-investigation. 



