v?^.- 





* 



-J I I 



FiGiTRE 33. — Echinastcr brasiliensis. A, aboral ; B, oral. Figure 34. — Asterias forbeaii. A, aboral ; B, oral. 5 em. 

 5 cm. indicated. Indicated. 



ambulacrals with one or two flattened, trun- 

 cate, long, slender spines. Madreporite small, 

 smooth, channeled, withont warts, tubercles, 

 or spinules. Rr = 3:l. Color reddish brown, 

 madreporite usually bright orange or red. 

 Range: 



Maine to Gulf of Mexico, to 92 m. This shallow 



water species is the best known sea-star along 

 the Atlantic coast, and is the one most fre- 

 quently used in biology classes. Large indi- 

 viduals, common in winter but less so in sum- 

 mer, inhabit hard substrates, such as jetties, 

 pilings, shell bottoms, and wrecks, in shal- 

 low water along the North Carolina coast and 



SBA-STARS OF NORTH CAROLINA 



157 



