CLARK: THE STARFISHES OF THE GENUS HELIASTER. 49 



mm. R = 6-J- 9} br. Rays more or less cylindrical, sometimes slightly flattened 

 and angular abactinally, but usually tapering more sharply than in multiradiatus. 

 Disc moderate, more or less distinctly and abruptly elevated at centre. Abactinal 

 skeleton and spines as in multiradiatus, but median and lateral series of spines on 

 ray more distinct, usually with more numerous, and stouter arid more capitate 

 spines. Space between lateral and marginal series wider than between lateral and 

 median, and usually conspicuous. Spines on disc often very stout and much thicker 

 at top than at base, sometimes two to two and one half millimeters across, not infre- 

 quently with the broad tip distinctly concave and more or less notched in the mar- 

 gin. — Sides of ray and actinal surface as in multiradiatus, except that the spines of 

 the series outside the adambulacral row are much stouter, and are often compressed 

 and truncate or even clavate. The actinal aspect of the ray is thus quite as differ- 

 ent in the two species as the abactinal. Pedicellariae, pedicels, and madreporite, as 

 in multiradiatus. — Color of abactinal surface deep purplish-black ; spines more or 

 less deep yellow ; pedicellariae yellowish, often so numerous as to give the distal 

 half of the ray a nearly uniform yellow color ; occasionally the rays have a banded 

 appearance as in multiradiatus, but not so distinct as in that species, and seemingly 

 due in large part to unequal distribution of the pedicellariae ; actinal surface deep 

 yellow with pedicels very dark, often blackish ; adambulacral spines often black- 

 ish at base on the outer side, and those near mouth are sometimes very dark for 



their whole length ; madreporite deep yellow. 



i* 



Range. — San Luis Gonzales Bay, Lower California ; Guaymas, Mexico ; and 

 San Juan, L. C. (U. S. N. M.) ; Margarita Bay, L. C. (Perrier) ; Magdalena Bay, 

 L. C. (Ives) ; Puerto Balandia, La Paz and Pichilingue Bay, L. C. (U. S. N. M.) ; 

 Altata, Mexico (Lutken) ; Mazatlan, Mexico (M. C Z.) ; Cerro Blanco, Cape 

 St. Lucas, L. C. (U. S. N. M.); Acapulco, Mexico (M. C Z.); and Macuoha, 

 Nicaragua (Ives). — A specimen in the National Museum labelled " Guanajuato, 

 Mexico," was probably purchased by the collector in that inland city at a curios- 

 ity shop. Another specimen labelled " Colorado Desert" is badly worn, as though 

 by sand, and looks as though it might have been picked up in the desert, though 

 how it came there \fould be hard to decide. — There seems to be no record for this 

 species south of Nicaragua, so that its range is apparently confined to the western 

 coast of Central America and Mexico, between 10° and 30° N. lat. 



Remarks. — This is a very easily recognized species, as the small number of 

 rays, free for nearly half their length, the large abactinal spines and the coloration 

 combine to distinguish it at a glance from all, except multiradiatus. From that 

 species it is separated not merely by the color, which is quite distinctive, but espe- 

 cially by the appearance of the rays, which are less slender, less largely free, and 

 have stouter spines. The differences are all shown in the figures given (Plate 4), 

 where even the contrast in color is plainly indicated. Yet kubiniji shows great 

 diversity even in specimens from one locality, the spines on the abactinal surface, 

 particularly those forming the median series on the rays, varying greatly not only 

 in actual but in relative size. There is also much variety in the relative breadth 

 of the rays, but it must be admitted that it is only small specimens (R = less, 

 than 70 mm.) which have the rays more than 8 times as long as thick. There is 



VOL. LI. NO. 2 4 



