94 Bulletin, Vanderbilt Marine Museum, Vol. IV 



Distribution: Fairly abundant from Labrador to Woods Hole, 

 Mass., less so southward to Cape Hatteras, N. C. Known from the 

 tide-line down to 358 fms., seldom taken in shallow water south of 

 Wood's Hole. Sometimes taken in association with Asterias forbesi 

 (Desor). 



Material examined: Three young specimens from the coast of 

 Maine, collected by the "Eagle," William K. Vanderbilt, command- 

 ing. One large dry specimen from the same locality, Cat. no. 231. 

 One young specimen dredged off Eastport, Maine, August 22, 1923, 

 by the "Am." 



Color : In life the coloration of this species is remarkably variable ; 

 the more abundant kinds are yellow or purple, but variations of these 

 dominant forms, including cream-colored, yellow-brown, orange, 

 brown, pink, and even bright red specimens have been recorded. 



Habits and life history: This species is said to differ but little 

 from its near relative, A. forbesi, and these slight differences occur 

 in the early stages of the life of the species. These were described by 

 Alexander Agassiz in the "Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology," volume V, part 1, 1877. The larval stages were thoroughly 

 discussed by Field in the "Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Sci- 

 ence," November, 1892, and additional investigations of the larvae were 

 made and reported by Goto in the ' ' Journal of the College of Sciences 

 of the Imperial University of Tokio, " 1898. A delightfully interest- 

 ing and thorough account of the habits and life history of the closely 

 related species, A. forbesi, was given by Mead in the "Bulletin of the 

 United States Fish Commission" for 1899. 



Technical description: Rays normally five, rarely four, six, or 

 eight. Dr. Verrill records specimens of fifteen inches diameter as not 

 uncommon in Labrador waters. Dr. H. L. Clark reports specimens 

 425 mm. in diameter from Nova Scotia. The largest of the three 

 young specimens collected by the "Eagle" measure R = 55 mm.; 

 r = 13 mm. ; R 4.45 X r. Width of ray at base, 12 mm., moderately 

 slender, somewhat flattened dorsally with nearly vertical sides, tapered 

 to a not quite acuminate tip. The disk is rather large and frequently 

 appears somewhat swollen. The interbrachial arcs are acute. The 

 plates of the abactinal surface are narrow, forming a network with 

 large meshes ; the skeleton is not very firm. On each arm there is a 

 median longitudinal series with large papular areas on each side, 



