I70 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Family SOLASTERIDAE Perrier, emended 



Genus Lophaster Verrill 



Lophaster YtvnW, Amer.J. Sci. Arts, ser. 3, xvi, 1878, p. 214. Type Solaster fiircifer Diiben & Koren. 

 Sarkaster Ludwig, Mem. Mas. Cotnp. ZooL, xxxii, July, 1905, p. 185. Type Sarkaster validus 

 Ludwig. 



Diagnosis. Five-rayed^ Solasteridae with cruciform or lobed abactinal paxilliform 

 plates (without intermediate connecting ossicles) forming a skeleton of quadrate or 

 polygonal meshes ; with 2 well-developed series of marginal paxillae, and with usually a 

 single series of spaced actinal intermediate plates, with or without a paxilliform tuft of 

 spinelets, extending far along the ray; adambulacral armature not essentially different 

 from that of Solaster ; an interbrachial calcareous pillar from actinal to abactinal surface, 

 but no membranous interbrachial septum between it and interbrachial angle as in 

 Crossaster. 



Lophaster stellans Sladen 

 (Fig. E, 3, 3«) 



Lophaster stellans Sladen, 1889, p. 460, pi. 71, figs. 4, 5; pi. 72, figs. 11, 12. — Ludwig, 1903, p. 27, 

 pi. 3, figs. 23, 24 (western Antarctica, not typical). — Koehler, 1920, p. 151. 



Lophaster pentactis Perrier, 1891, p. 112, pi. 9, fig. 3, 30-3^. — See Koehler, 1920, p. 151, pi. 31, figs. 

 6, 7; pi. 68, fig. 3 (type). 



Lophaster levinseni Perrier, 1891, p. 7 (lapsus). 



St. WS 81. 8 miles N, 11° W of North Island, West Falkland Island, 81-S2 m., sand, 3 specimens. 



St. WS 83. 14 miles S, 64° W of George Island, East Falkland Island, 137-129 m., fine green sand 

 and shell, 2 specimens. 



St. WS 243. North-east of Falkland Islands, 51° 06' S, 64° 30' W, 144-141 m., coarse dark sand, 

 7 specimens. 



St. WS 244. Falkland Islands, 52° S, 62° 40' W, 253-247 m., fine dark sand and mud, i specimen. 



St. WS 246. Falkland Islands, 52° 25' S, 61° W, 267-208 m., coarse green sand, 2 specimens. 



St. WS 799. South-east of Cape Tres Puntas, 48° 04I' S, 62° 48' 07" W, 141-137 m., i specimen. 



St. WS 825. North-east of East Island, Falkland Islands, 50° 50' S, 57° 15J' W, 135 m., i speci- 

 men. 



St. WS 840. 53° 52' S, 61° 49' W, 368-463 m., i specimen. 



St. WS 848. North-east of Atlantic Entrance to Strait of Magellan, 115-117 m., 2 specimens. 



If there were any utility in recognizing 2 formae in this species, names are available. 

 Forma stellans, illustrated by Sladen, has a large disk and broad rays tapering evenly to 

 a pointed extremity. Two specimens from St. WS 83, with R 36 mm. and 30 mm., are 

 typical. Forma pentactis, illustrated photographically by Koehler, has slender rays and 

 the sides of the ray are at first subparallel and then taper gradually on the outer part. 

 The marginal paxillae have longer pedicels. This form was taken at all the other stations 

 except WS 799. One specimen from this station and one of those from WS 81 have the 

 longer marginal paxillae, but the rays are intermediate between the two extremes. 



^ Exceptionally six-rayed, as a meristic variation. 



