TEMPLETON^ CUSHION-STAR. 123 



form and gibbous body is characteristic of all the true 

 Goniasters ; and the border of marginal plates distinguishes 

 them from Asterina and connects them with Asterias. 



The Goniaster Templetoni has the body very convex, 

 smooth, and lubricous when fresh, though when dried it 

 becomes granularly reticulated. Though there are no 

 spines there are here and there little pointed forceps- 

 shaped spinules, the remains of pedicellarise, which, when 

 the animal is alive, give a villous appearance to the sur- 

 face. These organs are seen on the skin of most of the 

 Starfishes. In the next species they are larger than in 

 any other British Sea-star. There are sometimes a few 

 true spines seen towards the apices of the rays or angles 

 of this Cushion-star ; but these are by no means constant. 

 The margins of the body above are bordered by rows of 

 oblong plates, which bear at their outer edges fasciculi of 

 from two to four conical spines. The madreporiform 

 tubercle is small, finely striate in a radiating manner, and 

 placed about half way between the centre and the margin, 

 with which it appears to communicate by a furrow or 

 canal. Besides the madreporiform tubercle, in one speci- 

 men which I possess, there is on the disk, in the very 

 centre, a circle of short, thick, sub-globose spines. Be- 

 neath, the triangular spaces are smooth and tessellated by 

 oblong plates, which are mostly quadrangular. The mar- 

 gins of the avenues are bordered by transverse rows of 

 long pointed spines, two or three spines in each row. 

 Two spines shorter than the rest, and placed close together, 

 project over the mouth from the oral angle of each trian- 

 gular space. The eyes are placed beneath, near the ex- 

 tremities of the tentacular avenues, and do not seem to be 

 protected by spines. The colour of this species is very 

 beautiful ; bright scarlet above, sometimes with cloudy 



