KEPOET ON THE ASTEROIDEA. 51 



name, although I take that step with much reluctance, as the state of preservation and 

 the juvenile condition of the example do not permit of a complete or even satisfactory 

 diagnosis being written. The present remarks will therefore be offered in the form of a 

 comparison of the available characters of the small asterid under notice with those of a 

 young Pontaster forcipatus of the same size — the species to which it is most nearly allied. 

 The measurements of the example under notice are R= 115 mm. (about), and r = 3 25 mm. 



The supero-marginal plates, which are fifteen or sixteen in number from the median 

 interradial line to the extremity, are low and elongate, in fact their length is remarkable. 

 They are confined entirely to the lateral wall of the ray ; and bear centrally a large boss on 

 which is articulated a conical pointed spine. The paxillse of the abactinal area are especi- 

 ally noteworthy on account of the single long central spine, which upon the disk and at 

 the base of the ray gives a more or less hirsute appearance. On this part of the area the 

 central spinelet is surrounded by four or five minute papilliform granules ; but along the 

 ray the small isolated squamiform plates which represent paxillae bear only the single long 

 central spinelet. In Pontaster forcipatus, at even an earlier stage of growth, the squamous 

 basement plates of the paxillse are very much larger, and bear several low granuliform 

 papillae only, even up to the extremity of the ray, — the central spinelet when present being 

 inconspicuous. The anal aperture is distinct and surrounded by large spinelets. The 

 papularia are very conspicuous, having the form of a small well-defined convex elevation. 

 There are no pedicellarise present ; in Pontaster for cipatus, on the other hand, these organs 

 are large and well-developed even in much smaller examples. The spinelets on the terminal 

 plate are large, comparatively long, and form a tuft-like group. The madreporiform body 

 is large and well-developed, whilst in Pontaster orcipatus of the same size it is scarcely 

 discernible. 



The adambulacral plates are elongate, and bear four or five rather short, equal-sized 

 spinelets on the furrow margin, the one at the aboral end of the series being removed 

 from the rest, and radiating apart with a trend outwards and only partly over the 

 furrow. There is a single comparatively large and sharply pointed spine on the actinal 

 surface of the plate ; and on the adoral margin within the disk-area there may be one 

 or more very small thornlets, but elsewhere there are generally no other spinelets beyond 

 those above mentioned on the plates. The mouth-plates do not appear to bear more than 

 four or five spinelets in the marginal series, the innermost being much larger than the 

 others ; and on the actinal surface of the plates is one large conical spine, and one or 

 more minute thornlets. 



The infero-marginal plates are elongate and correspondent to the superior series, 

 each bearing a single conical and pointed lateral spine, and a few small isolated spinelets 

 near the adoral and aboral ends of the plates. 



In the actinal interradial areas there are four intermediate or ventral plates which are 

 comparatively large, and bear on their surface a few isolated conical thornlets. There is 



