1 ,-.*■■=«>»*'-, 



l^--^ 



Figure 32. — Echinaster sentus. A, aboral ; B, oral. 3 cm. 

 indicated. 



fairly regvilar, but do not differ from other 

 plates in size or form. Siqieromarginals with 

 one stout, conical spine, on mammiform base, 

 on each plate. A single row of small oblong 

 plates connects the inferomarginals with the 

 adambulacrals. Adambulacral spines small, 

 subacute, in oblique transverse series of three. 

 Two webbed furrow spines, inner one much 

 smaller. Papulae numerous, papular areas 

 large, extending to adambulacrals. Madre- 



porite raised, flat, covered with rough spinules. 

 Rr=4: 1. Color dark red or purple. 

 Range : 



North Carolina to West Indies, shallow water. 

 Found on reefs in Onslow Bay, often in asso- 

 ciation with E. spinulosus. 



Echinaster brasiliensis Mueller and Troschel 



Synonymy : 



(?) Othilia hraziliensis A. Agassiz, 1869. 

 Echinaster hrasiliensis Mueller and Troschel, 

 1842. 



Description : 



Disc small, rays five, slender, terete. Dorsal 

 spines small, sturdy, acute-conical, in 9 to 11 

 rows. Marginals not distinct from aborals. 

 Papular areas of moderate size, numerous on 

 aboral surface, less numerous on oral surface. 

 Three adambulacral spines: furrow spine 

 small, curved, two outer spinas sturdy, diver- 

 gent, subequal. Madreporite small, warty, cov- 

 ei'ed with rough spinules. Rr = 5:1. Color 

 rust red above, paler below. 



Range : 



North Carolina to Florida and Brazil, shal- 

 low water. Our only locality record for this 

 species is at the edge of the shelf northeast of 

 Cape Hatteras. 



FORCIPULATIDA 



All North Carolina species in the Order Forci- 

 pulatida may be found north of Cape Hatteras, 

 and a few also occur south of the Cape. The well- 

 known and widespread shallow water Astrrhs for- 

 hesii is the most abundant. North of Cape Hat- 

 teras, the tropical species Coscinaaterias tcnuispma 

 and Stephanasterias gi^aeills occur only near tlic 

 outer edge of the shelf. 



Asterias forbesii (Desor) 



Synonymy : 



Asteracanth ion forbesii Desor, 1 848. 

 Asterias arenicola Stimpson, 1862. 

 Asterias forhesii: Verrill, 1866. 



Description : 



Disc moderate, often domed. Rays five, stout, 

 cylindrical, blvmt. Upper surface a firm mo- 

 saic of strong interlocking plates, each bear- 

 ing a single large, blunt, rough-tipped spine 

 encircled by a few smaller spines. Small ped- 

 icellariae encircle each spine, and larger ped- 

 icellariae are scattered over the surface. Ad- 



156 



U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



