Farquhar. — On New Zealand Echinoderms. 203 



They attach themselves so strongly by their numerous tube- 

 feet' that some of the rays of a specimen, although they are 

 very stout, may be torn off in attempts to detach it from the 

 rock. I have found a paper-knife useful in detaching speci- 

 mens of this and other species without injuring them. 



Stichaster insignis, sp- n. Plate XIII., fig. 1. 



Kays 6, rarely 5 or 7. K = 52mm. ; r = 5mm. to 7mm. 

 Breadth of a ray near the base, 10mm. to 12mm. 



The disc is small, flat or slightly tumid, and usually ovate 

 in form. The rays are elongate, cylindrical, tapering, and 

 laterally constricted at the junction with the disc. The 

 madreporiform plates, which are numerous — usually four in 

 number — are small, and surrounded by a wreath of spinelets. 

 The plates on the rays are arranged in regular longitudinal 

 series. They consist of a median series of large, broad, 

 rudely quadrangular plates, succeeded on either side by three 

 (in small specimens two) series of small plates, and a series of 

 large, very broad lateral plates, broader than those of the 

 median series. Between the lateral plates and the adambu- 

 lacral plates there are two series of actinal intermediate 

 plates, those adjacent to the lateral plates being much larger 

 and broader than those adjacent to the adambulacral plates. 

 The armature of the abactinal and lateral plates consists of 

 short, stout, slightly clavate, subequal spinelets, with granular 

 summits. On the plates of the median series there is an 

 angulated line of spinelets, frequently with two or three 

 spinelets within the angle. The small plates between the 

 median and lateral series bear each a line or group of two or 

 three spinelets. On the lateral plates there is a line or group 

 of three or four spinelets on the abactinal (superior) part of 

 each plate ; then follows a bare region succeeded by one or 

 two spinelets on the actinal (inferior) margin of the plate. 

 The spinelets on the actinal intermediate plates are far larger 

 and stouter than those on the abactinal and lateral plates. 

 There are three forming an oblique line on the plates of the 

 outer series, and one on the small plates adjacent to the 

 adambulacral plates. All the plates are covered with rather 

 thick skin, on which there are numerous, small, scattered, 

 isolated, sessile, forcipiform pedicellarias. The adambulacral 

 plates carry two rather short, obtuse, cylindrical, divergent 

 spines, the inner one being slightly stouter than the other. The 

 ambulacral tube-feet are arranged in four crowded rows. The 

 colour varies from very pale salmon-pink to deep vermilion. 



Uab. On rocks from low-water mark to 10 or 12 fathoms. 

 Wellington Harbour, and Taylor's Mistake (Te Onepoto) near 

 Lyttelton. Type specimens are in the Canterbury Museum, 

 Christchurch. 



