244 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Type locality. South Georgia. 



Distribution. Probably circumpolar: South Orkneys, South Shetlands, Graham 

 Coast; latitude 64° to 67° S and longitude 92° to 145° E; north to Bouvet Island and 

 South Georgia. Shallow water to 647 m. 



Lysasterias adeliae (Koehler) 



Anasterias adeliae Koehler, 1920, p. 26, pi. i, figs, i, 2, 5-10; pi. 56, fig. i. 

 Lysasterias adeliae Fisher, 1930, p. 236. 



St. 181. Schollaert Channel, Palmer Archipelago, 64° 20' S, 63^ 01' W, 160-335 m., mud, 

 I specimen. 



Koehler 's 2 specimens were taken in 12 fathoms, Adelie Land. The largest measured 

 R38 to 44 mm., riomm. The present specimen measures R 65 mm., r 12 mm., 

 br 13 mm. The rays are decidedly longer and more attenuate distally, and ray tip more 

 pointed than in Koehler 's illustrations. It differs also in having rather numerous, 

 conspicuous abactinal straight pedicellariae which are narrowly lanceolate, acute. 



The marginal plates are as well developed as in perrieri and the intermarginal channel 

 is broad proximally. The superomarginal plates soon become disconnected and spaced 

 from one another. There is a definite series of superomarginal and one of inferomargmal 

 spines. Attached to the cupule-like sheaths are from i to 5 large crossed pedicellariae 

 (0-9-1 mm. long), and on the inferomarginals also several small ones, hardly half as long 

 together with one to several lanceolate straight pedicellariae. The abactinal crossed 

 pedicellariae seem to be only of the small size— not large and small mixed as I infer to be 

 the case in L. belgicae (Ludwig). The roundish or lobed abactinal plates of the rays are 

 mostly isolated, widely spaced, and carry usually an acicular spinelet. On the disk is an 

 irregular ring of connected plates, which includes (at mid-r) a large madreporite, and 

 carries about 30 spaced spinelets. Within the circle are about 10 spinelets springing 

 from mostly isolated plates. 



Ahhough this specimen is not typical I have little hesitation in referring it to adeliae. 

 The extension to abactinal area of the straight pedicellariae is an item of scarcely varietal 

 importance as this is a matter in which the Asteriidae exhibit very wide individual 

 variation. 



L. adeliae differs from perrieri chiefly in the disparity in size of the abactinal and 

 marginal pedicellariae. L. belgicae has both large and small crossed pedicellariae, but 

 Ludwig does not state that the large size is marginal only. Belgicae has very small 

 marginal plates and therefore would seem to be more nearly related to joffrei than to 

 adeliae. In jojfrei the inferomarginal crossed pedicellariae are also abruptly larger than 

 the abactinal. 



Adelie Land and Palmer Archipelago are the only known records for this species. 

 Bathymetric range 22-335 m. 



