92 Bulletin, Vanderbilt Marine Museum, Vol. IV 



Echinaster crassispina Lutken, op. cit., p. 283, 1871. — Ives, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci. for 1890, p. 326.— H. L. Clark, Bull. U. S. Fish 

 Comm., vol. XX, part 2, p. 238, 1899. 



Echinaster echinophorus Perrier, Arch. Zool. Exper., vol. IV, p. 364, 

 1875. — Richard Rathbun, Trans. Conn. Acad. Arts and Sci., 

 vol. V, p. 147, 1879.— Ives, Proc. Acad. Phila. Acad. Nat. Sci. for 

 1889, p. 171. — Verrill, Bull. Lab. Nat. Hist. State Univ. Iowa, 

 vol. VII, no. 1, p. 42, 1915. 



Echinaster sagenus (Ketzius). 

 See Ludwig's color plate, Taf. 4, figs. 4, 5. 



Type: In 1805 Retzius designated this Mediterranean species 

 Asterias sagena. 



Distribution : This brilliantly colored starfish is very abundant in 

 the Mediterranean Sea, extending southward as far as Cape Verde, 

 and northward on the Atlantic European coast as far as Brittany. 

 Bathymetric occurrence: Littoral down to 1060 meters. 



Material examined : One very young specimen dredged in 19 f ms., 

 grassy bottom, 10 miles south of Cagliari, Sardinia, July 23, 1927, 

 Cat. no. 262. 



Color.- The abactinal surface is intensely red or orange-red; the 

 actinal surface cream color. 



Diagnostic characters: The single specimen taken by the "Ara" 

 is a very young, five-rayed starfish, agreeing in all particulars with 

 Ludwig's excellent description and figures of the species. 



This starfish is usually five-rayed, occasionally six or more, rarely 

 seven-rayed. It frequently attains a diameter of 15 to 20 cm., and 

 specimens as large as 30 cm. diameter have been reported. The spines 

 of the abactinal surface are large and there are no papulae on the 

 actinal surface, two items which readily distinguish E. sagenus from 

 the superficially similar Henricia sanguinolentus, in addition to their 

 respectively different faunal distribution. For detailed diagnosis of 

 the species consult Ludwig, 1897. 



References : Asterias sagena Retzius, Dissert, sist. spec. cog. Aster., 

 p. 21, 1805. — Ludwig, Fauna und Flora, Neapel, Mon. 24, p. 313, 

 pi. IV, figs. 4, 5, 1897 (with full synonymy). — Koehler, Faune 

 de France, p. 29, fig. 22, 1921 ; Les Echinodermes des Mers 

 d 'Europe, t. I, p. 125, 1924. — Mortensen, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 

 9 ser., vol. 16, p. 546, 1925.— Fisher, W. K., ibid, vol. 18, p. 196, 

 1926.— Mortensen, Echinod. Brit. Isles, p. 117, p. 439, 1927. 



