oped, granulated, numerous, upper and lower 

 series nearly equal. Aboral plates longitudi- 

 nally arranged, roundish, moderate in size, 

 covered with rosette of short, obtuse spinules, 

 sometimes with a broad sessile valvular pedi- 

 cellaria. Adambulacrals with marginal row of 

 three to seven slender spinules, sonietimes with 

 two to three bladed clavate pedicellariae. 

 Actinal plates angular, in rows parallel to 

 ambulacral grooves, covered with rosette of 

 granules. Rr=3.3:l. Color brilliant red 

 abactinally, salmon orange actinally. 

 Range : 



Northeast coast of the United States, 90 to 360 

 m. Our only record is from the edge of the 

 shelf off Cape Lookout. 



Plinthaster dentatus (Perrier) 



Synonymy : 



Pentagonaster dentatus Perrier, 1883. 

 PyrenaMer dentatus (Perrier), Verrill, 1899. 

 Plinthaster dentatus (Perrier), Fisher, 1911. 



Description : 



Form flat, more or less pentagonal, rays short. 

 Marginals rather large, both series similar and 

 paired. The distal inferomarginal behind the 

 ocular plate smaller than the others; ocular 

 plate somewhat pointed. Marginals closely 

 covered with granules in young specimens, but 

 with scattered clumps of granules in older 

 specimens. Pedicellariae on adambulacrals 

 rare, similar to granules, with short chisel- 

 shaped blades. Adambulacral plates large, 

 squarish; furrow spinelets in regular series, 

 well separated from granules of actinal sur- 

 face. Actinal plates polygonal, flat, crowded. 

 Abactinal plates rounded, convex, usually 

 with a border of granules. Papular pores not 

 numerous confined to median radial area. 

 Rr=1.5: 1. Color bright orange or yellow. 



Range : 



North Carolina to Gulf of Mexico, 360 to 915 

 m. Recovered from a LopheVia coral reef on 

 the slope southeast of Cape Lookout. 



Peltaster planus Verrill 



Synonymy : 



Pentagonaster planus Verrill, 1885. 

 Peltaster planus: Verrill, 1899. 



3^ 



:mv"'. 



^ 







i 







/- 



Figure 25. — Plinthaster dentatus. A, aboral ; B, oral. 1 cm. 

 indicated. 



Description : 



Body pentagonal, sides almost straight, rays 

 five, triangular, obtuse. Marginals large, 

 quadrangidar, 14 in superomarginal series, 

 16 in inferomarginal series, covered with 

 coarse granules (which easily rub off, some- 

 times leaving the superomarginals nearly 

 bare). Aboral plates large, rounded or hex- 

 agonal, with many smaller secondai-y plates 

 interspersed. All covered with rather uni- 

 form coat of granules. Actinal plates large, 



SEA-STARS OF NORTH CAROLINA 



151 



