122 



GONIA STERILE. 



ASTER1ADM. 



GONIASTERIM. 



*w 



Genus Goniaster. Agassiz. 



Generic Character. — Body pentagonal, gibbous, thick, bordered by a series of 

 laminae edged with spines ; avenues bordered by transverse rows of spines ; 

 suckers biserial. 



TEMPLETON'S CUSHION-STAR. 



Goniaster Templetoni. Thompson. 



Specific Character. — Body above and below smooth ; tesselke of the triangular 

 spaces mostly quadrangular. 



Goniaster Templetoni, Forbes, Wern. Mem. VIII. p. 118, pi. iv. fig. 1, 2. 



The Goniasters bear much analogy to certain Sea- 

 Urchins. They may be regarded as connecting the true 

 Asteriada with the Ecliinida. This connection is seen 

 in the general form of all the species, and in the structure 

 of the spines in such as are spiniferous. The capital of 

 the genus appears to be situated in the eastern seas. In 

 our own seas we have two species belonging to two differ- 

 ent sections ; such of the Cushion-stars as have naked bodies, 

 and such as are covered with spines. The pentangular 



