Fisher — New East Indian Starfishes. 35 



let at each end of the plate and a third, longer one, above the aboral 

 spinelet; ontheactinal surface is a prominent subambulacral spine which 

 on the first 15 plates is conspicuously spatulate, the broad lip being 

 sometimes flat, sometimes scoop-shaped, sometimes grooved. The trun- 

 cated end has, often, 2 or 3 knobs, and the part of the spine which is 

 flattened decreases from about half to about a fifth, or even less, on the 

 distal spines affected. INIouth plates each with 3 short spinelets on the 

 actinostomial margin, and 2 on the distal furrow corner; snboral spine 

 about as long as the first subambulacral, with a sliglitly flattened, sub- 

 lanceolate tip, sometimes ending in 2 distinct, sharp points. R=135 mm. -f- 

 r=9 mm. : breadth of ray at base, 4.5 mm. ; length of genital region, 30- 

 35 mm. 



Type— Ca,t. No. 36,747, U. S. N. M. 



Type-locality.— Station 5668, 2° 28^ 30'^ S., 118° 43' E. (oflf Mamnju 

 Island), 901 fathoms., gray mud. 



This species which is characterized by the broadly spatulate, proximal 

 subambulacral spines and the rudimentary, transverse, abactinal spini- 

 ferous ridges difiers from F. echinata Sladen in lacking the conspicuous 

 abactinal spines of the genital region, and from F. insignis Ludwig (from 

 ofi' Panama) in having difierently formed proximal subambulacral spines. 

 In insignis the spines usually end in 2 to 4 diverging prongs and are only 

 exceptionally flattened to any extent, while the lateral spine is opposite 

 every alternate adambulacral plate and there is only 1 small aboral fur- 

 row spinelet. Freyella pacifica Ludwig, which has the tip of the proxi- 

 mal subambulacral spines slightly enlarged, has the lateral spine and 

 furrow spinelet as in insignis. 



