EEPORT ON THE ASTEROIDEA. 461 



covered spinelets, the innermost one of the series being sometimes out of line and more 

 aboral in position than the rest. 



The mouth-plates are large, spade-shaped, and prominent actinally. Their armature 

 consists of a marginal series of nine rather short skin-covered spinelets, which decrease 

 in size gradually as they recede from the mouth. The spinelets are united for a short 

 distance above their base by a membranous web, and their posture has a slight trend 

 downward, which causes the mouth-plates to assume a scoop-like appearance. On the 

 actinal surface of each plate are about four erect, tapering, skin-covered spinelets, usually 

 in a closely placed lineal series, but sometimes subject to irregularity, those nearest the 

 mouth being largest. The fan on the furrow margin of the adambulacral plate next the 

 mouth-plate is usually semicircularly curved and more prominent than the others, appear- 

 ing to form a kind of supplementary appendage to the mouth-plate armature, which adds 

 greatly to the ornate character of the actinal aspect of this species. 



The actinal interradial areas are very small, and do not contain more than. eight or 

 ten small intermediate plates, probably fewer, and seven or eight of these bear small tufts 

 of three or four short, tapering, skin-covered spinelets, the groups or tufts being widely 

 spaced. 



The madreporiform body, which is oval in outline and rather small, is situated about 

 midway between the centre of the disk and the margin. Its surface is convex and is 

 marked with rather coarse striae. 



The ambulacral tube-feet are large, apd have well-developed fleshy terminal disks. 



Colour in alcohol, a bleached ashy or yellowish white. 



Localities. — Station 303. Off the Chonos Archipelago, western coast of South Ame- 

 rica. December 30, 1875. Lat. 45° 31' 0" S., long. 78° 9' 0" W. Depth 1325 fathoms. 

 Blue mud. Bottom temperature 36° '0 Fahr. ; surface temperature 54° - 8 Fahr. 



Station 308. South of Wellington Island, west coast of Patagonia. January 5, 1876. 

 Lat. 50° 8' 30" S., long. 74° 41' 0" W. Depth 175 fathoms. Blue mud. Surface 

 temperature 51°"7 Fahr. 



Station 309. Off Puerto Bueno. January 8, 1876. Lat. 50° 56' 0" S., long. 74° 15' 0" 

 W. Depth 40 fathoms. Blue mud. Bottom temperature 47°"0 Fahr. ; surface tempera- 

 ture 50°-5 Fahr. 



Remarks. — This species is readily distinguished from Lophaster furcifer by the 

 general form, by the structure of the abactinal paxillse, and by the character of the 

 armature of the adambulacral plates. 



