with single or double row of shorter flat spines 

 behind it. Rr=4:l. Color bright red or 

 orange. 

 Range : 



New Jersey to Venezuela, 37 to 293 m. North 

 Carolina specimens were taken near the outer 

 edge of the shelf. 



Astropecten americanus Verrill 



Synonymy : 



Archnster americanus Verrill, 1880. 

 Astropecten americanus : Verrell, 1894. 



Description : 



Body flat and thin ; rays long, slender, taper- 

 ing to acute tips. Aboral paxillar area about 

 four times as wide as adjacent margin at base 

 of ray. Paxillae small, with 6 to 10 elongate 

 slender spinules surrounding central 1 or 2, 

 in narrow transverse rows, rather openly 

 spaced, so that papular pores are visible. 

 Superomarginals small, numerous, usually 

 broader than long, with deep, wide fasciolated 

 grooves between ; plates flat or concave. Infero- 

 marginals project slightly beyond supero- 

 marginals, bear two slender, flattened, acut« 

 spines and sometimes a small papilliform 

 pedicellaria ; underside with small acute spines 

 and spinules. Adambulacrals with three to 

 five slender furrow spines. Rr= 5.5:1. Color 

 dark red or reddish brown. 



Range : 



East coast of the United States, 55 to 540 m. 

 In North Carolina, A. americanus is limited 

 largely to deeper waters of the outer edge of 

 the shelf north of Cape Hatteras, where it 

 appears to be the dominant asteroid. Bottom 

 photographs show it to be abundant (fig. 14). 

 Relatively few have been taken south of Cape 

 Hatteras, where J.. articuJatus is the dominant 

 Astropecten. 



Astropecten articulatus (Say) 



Synonymy : 



Asterias articulatus Say, 1825. 

 Astropecten artieuJ<itu.s : Mueller and Tro- 

  scliel, 1842. 



Descrijjtion : 



Tliick disc, fi\-e robust arms, with large stout 

 superomarginals densely granulated. On distal 

 half to three-quarters of rays, superomar- 

 ginals sometimes bear a single small, obtuse 

 spine on outer convex surface. Inferomargin- 



SEA-STARS OF NORTH CAROLINA 



fSJ^'v" . 





B 



Figure 13. — Astropecten americanus. A, aboral ; B, oral. 

 1 em. indicated. 



als with two sliort, flattened marginal spines, 

 side by side. Adambulacrals triseriate. Aboral 

 paxillae stellate, crowded, with six to eight 

 short clavate sf)inules surrounding central one 



143 



323-489 O - 69 - 10 



