Figure 38. — Coscinasterms tcnuispiiia. A, aboral ; B, oral. 

 1 cm. Indicated. 



Asterias {Stolasterlas) tenuispina: Sladen, 



1889. 

 Coseinaster'ias tenuispina: Verrill, 1914. 

 Asterim atlant'wa (pars) Verrill, 18fi8. 

 Description : 



Disc small, rays four to nine (most commonly 

 seven), long, slender, angular. Aboral and 

 marginal spines elongate and slender. Aboral 



plates form definite carinal row and one main 

 dorso-lateral row on each side ; each plate with 

 one spine. Superomarginals and inferomar- 

 ginals with one or two spines, longer than ab- 

 oral spines. Adambulacrals with one long 

 slender spine. Usually two or more madrepo- 

 rites present. Er=10:l. Color yellowish 

 brown, with darker markings. 

 Range : 



Mediterranean, Madiera, Canary Islands, 

 Cape Verde Islands, Brazil, Cuba, Bermuda, 

 West Indies. In Xorth Carolina, 20 to 165 m. 

 South of Cape Hatteras it has been found on 

 reefs off New River Inlet and Cape Lookout ; 

 north of Cape Hatteras it occurs along the 

 edge of the shelf in 145 to 165 m. 



Stephanasterias gracilis (Perrier) 



Synonymy : 



Asterias gracilis Perrier, 1881. 

 Stephan/isterias gra.cilis: Verrill, 1879. 



Descrii^tion : 



Disc small, rays about six, often unequal, 

 slender. Aboral surface closely covered with 

 numerous minute slender spines, several to a 

 plate. Marginal spines larger, flattened, and 

 expanded at tip, whidli is blunt, thorny, and 

 more or less hyaline. Adambulacrals with two 

 short, slender, slightly clavate spines. Rr= 

 4.5:1. Color in life unknown; preserved, 

 white. 



Range : 



Lesser Antilles, Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, and 

 Florida, 145 to 370 m. Although a southern 

 species, it has been taken in North Carolina 

 only north of Cape Hatteras — at several sta- 

 tions along the edge of the outer shelf. 



Leptasterias tenera (Stimpson) 



Synonymy : 



Asterias tenera Stimpson, 1862. 



Asterias compta Stimpson, 1862. 



Leptasterias compta: Verrill, 1866. 

 Description : 



Disc moderate, rays five, slender, cylindrical, 



tapering to small blunt tip. Conspicuous 



slender spines rising from open network of 



aboral plates, no clear median row on arms. 



Wreath of pedicellariae around aboral spines. 



Adambulacral sjiines long, blunt-tii:)ped. 



Madreporite inconspicuous. Rr = 5:1. Color 



160 



U..S. PISH .\XI) WILDLIFE SERVICE 



