EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC ASTEROIDEA. Ill 



but heavier than in that species; beyond genital area, they rapidly assume an 

 ordinary blunt tip; where longest they are about 5 nun. long and decrease in 

 length and stoutness distally. Inferomarginal spines at first rather small, not 

 equalling the actinal adanibulacral spines, but distally they gradually come to 

 exceed them; as usual there are two actinal spines to one inferomarginal, the 

 latter overljing one of the former. Both actinal and inferomarginal spines are 

 more or less completely encased in pedicellariae-covered skin. Tube-feet very 

 large, the pore occupying nearly the whole area bordered by the adambulacral 

 plate. Oral plates small, with no midradial keel; at distal outer corner is a 

 small spinelet similar in position and appearance to the adambulacral furrow- 

 spine, while on the adoral margin are two similar but longer spines which widely 

 diverge from each other; at the center of the actinal surface of the plate is a long 

 spine, like the adambulacral actinal spines, with a conspicuously flat dentate 

 tip; aU the oral spines carry nmnerous pedicellariae. Color, in alcohol, light 

 buff. 



Station 4649. Eastern Tropical Pacific, 5° 17' S., 85° 19' 30" W., 2,235 fms. Bott. temp. 35.4°. Fne. 



stky. gy. m. 

 Station 4740. Eastern Tropical Pacific, 9° 2' S., 123° 20' W., 2,422 fms. Bott. temp. 34.2°. Dk. gy. 



glob, and rad. oz. 

 Station 4742. Eastern Tropical Pacific, 0° 3' 29" N., 117° 15' 48" W., 2,320 fms. Bott. temp. 34.3°. 



Fne. It. gy. glob. oz. 



Three specimens. 



Two of these specimens are of nearly equal size but the one from St. 4740 is 

 very much younger. The disk is only 7 mm. across ; two of the arms are broken 

 near the disk, the others near their tips or beyond the genital area, which is Uttle 

 enlarged. None of the adambulacral actinal spines show very much expanded 

 tips but they are relatively short and in view of the number of rays, I consider 

 this specimen octoradiata. 



The small number of rays, apparently quite constant, the large feet, the 

 short, thick adambulacral plates, and the relatively short actinal and inferomar- 

 ginal spines combine to give this species a very characteristic facies. The disk 

 too is relatively small and the rather stout arms are longer than usual. The 

 generic characters are well shown, as there is no syzygy at the base of the arm, 

 the genital tufts are single on each side of the arm and the interradial angle is 

 as in microplax except for the very much larger interradial plate. 



