1912] The Ottawa Naturalist. 2 5 



have not vet been developed. Ambulacral pores in a single 

 linear series and occurrin le points of contai ur adarh- 



bulacra, or in a d mble row and placed between the adambul- 

 acrals of a series. 



It is in one sense unfortunate that our efforts in taxonomy 

 all lie in the direction of separation. Generalized types or "mis- 

 sing links" must never be ;il ! wed to remain on border territory 

 where their true relationships might be manifest to the uniniti- 

 1. This newly described sea-star seems likely to give tax- 

 onomis;s as much trouble as do some of the chlorophyll bearing 

 flagellates. It is really an ral stellerid yet wearing the 



garb of the Edrioasteroidea. If we consider it a true member of 

 the Edrioasteroidea we must recognize it as an " insurgent , " 

 for it lived the life of a stellerid and became one of the founders 

 of that class. 



PROTOPALAEASTERIDAE, FAM. NOV. 



Eostelleroidae in which the marginals are large. Adam- 

 bulacrals opposite, the interradial pairs meeting to form a 

 primarv jaw. Ambulacral pores in a single linear series. Arm 

 epineurals long and stout and assisting in locomotion. Disc 

 epineurals specialized to hold and crush shelled organisms and 

 press food toward the oral aperture. 



PROTOPALAEASTER, GEN. NOV. 



Protopalasasteridae with single, very large interradial mar- 

 ginals. Arm marginals somewhat cubical and about twice as 

 long as the adambulacral ossicles of the same region. Original 

 peristomial covering pieces forming secondary jaws which slide 

 over the faces of the primary jaws. First epineurals advanced 

 orad to close together over the secondary jaws but not capable 

 of completely closing the space over the mouth. The following 

 new species is designated as the genoholotype. 



PROTOPALAEASTER NARRAWAYI, SP. NOV. 



Interradial marginals pear-shaped, the broad end set orad, 

 length 2.25 mm. or nearly one-third of the diameter of the 

 disc, greatest breadth 1.95 mm.; oral face smooth, convex 

 (plate II, fig. 4). bearing characteristic plate impressions and 

 muscle fields: arm marginals cuboid, oral surfaces smooth, 

 flat and inclined aborad about 5 from the oral plane, transverse 

 diameter equal to about one-third that of the ray: outer faces 

 (abambulacral) of marginals strongly convex and ornamented 

 with small, closelv and alternately set mammillary tubercles 

 having a diameter of about 0. 1 mm. each (plate II, fig. 4). The 

 inner (ambulacral) faces are set in a straight line which makes 

 an angle of about four degrees with the axis of a ray. The rate 

 of transverse thickening during growth determines the form of 



