REPORT ON T1IE ASTEEOIDEA. 31 7 



of paxillae are bounded at the one extremity by the marginal plates of the disk and at the 

 other by the median interradial line, and the paxillae in each series diminish slightly in 

 size as they approach the margin. In addition to their longitudinal arrangement the 

 paxillae appear to fall into regular obliquely transverse lines proceeding from the median 

 interradial line to the margin of the disk. From this circumstance, together with the fact 

 that the larger paxillae are in the neighbourhood of the primary radial plate, and that the 

 rest diminish as they recede therefrom, the ornamentation of the disk has a very charac- 

 teristic appearance. The larger paxillae are regularly hexagonal, with their margin beset 

 with fifteen to eighteen very short, robust, subprismatic, truncate, papilliform granules, and 

 with four to nine slightly larger but irregular-sized ones on the tabulum, usually definitely 

 spaced but also more or less polygonal. On the smaller plates the number of granules 

 is less, but they appear quite as large and robust as those on the larger paxillae. The 

 single series of small square plates which occupies the median abactinal line of the ray are 

 covered with small semiglobular granules similar to those on the supero-marginal plates. 

 The dorso-central plate is small and scarcely distinguishable from the numerous rather 

 small plates which occupy the central area of the disk. In like manner it is not practi- 

 cable to indicate definitely the representatives of the basals and under-basals. The rnadre- 

 poriform body is small and almost hidden by the surrounding paxillae ; it lies external to 

 its adjacent (basal ?) plate, and its position is about midway between the centre of the 

 disk and the margin. 



No pedicellariae of any kind are present. 



Colour in alcohol, a slightly yellowish ashy grey, with a darker dirty bluish grey shade 

 over the paxillar area. 



Young Phase. — In a small specimen measuring R = 30 mm., ?*=8 - 5 mm., the basal 

 plates are clearly distinguishable and are the largest paxillae on the disk. Internal to the 

 primary radial plate are a pair of plates, — a character which may also be noted, but less 

 •easily, in the larger example. 



Locality. — Station 106. Near the Equator, due south of the Cape Verde Islands. 

 August 25, 1873. Lat. 1° 47' 0" N., long. 24° 26' 0" W. Depth 1850 fathoms. Globi- 

 gerina ooze. Bottom temperature 36°"6 Fahr. ; surface temperature 78°'0 Fahr. 



Remarks. — The specimen which forms the subject of the above description is un- 

 fortunately without any indication whatever of its locality. It was found in Sir Wyville 

 Thomson's study after his death. The smaller specimen, which is precisely correspondent 

 in every respect and unquestionably belongs to the same species, was dredged at Station 

 106. 



In many respects this species differs so considerably from Pceragonaster ctenipes that 

 at first sight it would scarcely be thought to belong to the same genus. The character 

 of the abactinal ornamentation has quite a different appearance ; and the broad adam- 

 bulacral plates of Paragonaster ctenipes present a feature special to that species. Care- 



