The Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. 291 



the holotype, quite depressed. The whole animal is covered with a 

 rather thick skin, hut this does not greatly ohscure the ahactinal 

 skeleton. Abactinal plates carry numerous isolated spines, about a 

 millimeter high, sharp-pointed, hut with the basal half imbedded in 

 a collar of the thick skin; when the tip is broken off or is undeveloped 

 the spine has the appearance of a flat-topped tubercle. Madreporite 

 small, sunken, near center of disk. 



Actinal interradial areas small, with few plates, each of which 

 carries a single spinelet, more or less imbedded in the skin. Adam- 

 bulacral plates, short and numerous, as usual in the genus. Each 

 plate bears a small furrow spine and a transverse series of three 

 (often two) spines, which appear thick and blunt from their skin- 

 covering; the spine on the furrow margin is longest and least blunt, 

 the second is stoutest and bluntest, the third is distinctly the small- 

 est. Outside the adambulacral plates, the spinulation is irregular 

 and resembles that of the abactinal surface, but in some places 

 there are two indistinct longitudinal series of spinelets next to the 

 adambulacral plates; here and there a third spine accompanies these 

 in such a way that there is a transverse comb of three spines 

 adjoining the adambulacral series. Papulae are numerous on the 

 actinal surface, even adjoining the adambulacral plates. Oral plates 

 ill-defined; each bears three spines on the margin, similar to and 

 scarcely larger than the adambulacral spines ; on the surface of each 

 plate, there is one, and frequently there are tw^o, thick blunt spines. 

 Colour, in alcohol, bright yellow-brown, the spinelets yellow, at 

 least at tip. 



P.F. 13509. Cape Morgan, Cape Colony, W. '/ 2 N., 3 miles. 

 17-20 fms. Rocks. 1 specimen; adult. 



P.F. 15602. False Bay, Cape Colony, 18-25 fms. Sand. 1 spe- 

 cimen; adult. 



Table Bay, Cape Colony. 1 specimen ; adult. 



Holotype, South African Museum no. A 6423. P.F. 15602. 



The three Echinasters which 1 here list under the new name 

 reticulatus are so unlike each other at first glance that I supposed 

 each represented a different species, but after careful comparison 

 I have decided it is probable the superficial differences are largely 

 due to differences in preservation. The holotype is in fine condi- 

 tion and was undoubtedly living when put in alcohol but in one 

 particular, it is imperfect, for most of the abactinal spinelets have 

 the tips missing, so that they appear like low tubercles, and as they 

 are quite nnmerous, they make the reticulations of the skeleton 

 very conspicuous. In some cases, it is clear that the tip of the 



