110 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



GONIASTERIDAB. 



Goniaster tessellatus. 



Asterias tessellata Lamarck, 1816. Anim. s. Vert., 2, p. 552. 



Goniaster tessellatus Agassiz, 1835. Mem. Soc. Sci. Neuchatel, 1, p. 191. 



As this species has not been recorded from Australia, it may be of interest to 

 note a specimen, labelled "Melbourne, Aust.," which is indistinguishable from 

 those taken at Zanzibar. 



Goniodiscaster, nom. nov. 



Fisher (1906, Starfishes Haw. Isl, p. 1070) has proposed the name Goniodis- 

 cides for a group of starfishes, long known as Goniodiscus. Fisher shows that 

 the name Goniodiscus is untenable, but in order to disturb nomenclature as little 

 as possible, he altered only the termination. Unfortunately, however, he selected 

 for his type the well-known species, Goniodiscus sebae, which I have recently 

 shown (Bull. M. C. Z., 51, p. 281) is simply the young of Culcita nonae-guineae, 

 and therefore Goniodiscides is a synonym of Culcita. I therefore propose the 

 name Goniodiscaster with Asterias pleyadella Lamarck as the type-species. 



Goniodiscaster pleyadella. 



Asterias pleyadella Lamarck, 1816. Anim. s. Vert,, 2, p. 553. 



Pentagonaster validus Bell, 1884. " Alert " Rept., p. 129. 



Goniodiscus pleyadella Doderlein, 1896. Semon's Zool. Forsch., 5, p. 308, pi. 18, figs. 



34-34L 

 Goniodiscides pleyadella Fisher, 1906. Starfishes Haw. Isl., p. 1070. 



We are so fortunate as to have in the M. C. Z. collection two excellent speci- 

 mens of " Pentagonaster validus " Bell, which were received in exchange from 

 the British Museum. After a careful comparison of these specimens with Doder- 

 lein's (1. c.) excellent photographs, I am satisfied that Bell's species is identical 

 with that which Doderlein calls G. pleyadella Lam., so that unless Doderlein 

 is guilty of a serious mistake, Bell's proposed name becomes a synonym of 

 Lamarck's. 



Goniodiscaster coppingeri. 



Pentagonaster coppingeri, Bell 1884. " Alert " Rept., p. 128. 



There is a specimen in the M. C. Z. collection from Adolphus Island, near 

 Cape York, Australia, with rays 72 mm. long, which differs from Bell's descrip- 

 tion only in color. It is deep brick-red and has apparently never been in alcohol. 

 The species is very distinct from the preceding, but appears to be congeneric 

 with it. 



