ASTEROIDEA 177 



armature consists of a transverse webbed comb of 6 spines, the innermost being the 

 furrow spine. The adambulacral plates are much broader than long, and the muscular 

 interval between the plates is twice as wide as the spine-bearing crest of the plate. The 

 suboral combs occupy only the inner of furrow half of this crest, so that there is a 

 definite spineless zone along ray between the outer subambulacral and the base of the 

 inferomarginal paxillae. The longest subambulacral spines are i-8mm. and 3 are 

 figured for comparison with S. godefroyi. Furrow spines proximally are subequal to the 

 subambulacrals ; distally they are definitely shorter. 



Marginal mouth spines 6 or 7, similar to adambulacrals ; suborals smaller, 3 or 4, in a 

 single series along median suture. 



Type locality. St. 1652, Ross Sea, 76° 56-2' S, 178° 35-5' W, 567 m. 



Specimens examined. The type. 



Remarks. Paralophaster godefroyi was described from 3 small specimens (R 37, 14, 

 and 4 mm.) taken by the second Charcot Expedition near Alexander I Island and west 

 of Charcot Island, 250-400 m., sandy mud, pebbles and rocks (Koehler, 1912, p. 50, pi. 

 4, figs. 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11). A larger specimen, having R 70-80 mm. was described and 

 figured by Koehler from off Queen Mary Land, 64° 32' S, 97'' 20' E, no fathoms (1920, 



P- 153. Pl- 3i> fig- I ; pl- 35. figs- 1-4; Pl- 66, fig. 9). 



In the same dredge haul with this large specimen was taken a very immature Paralo- 

 phaster which Koehler has described as Solaster asperatiis (1920, p. 157, pl. 33, figs. 

 8, 9 ; pl. 65, fig. 3 ; R 8-5 and 9 mm., r 4 mm.). The denticulated spinelets of the abactinal 

 paxillae are somewhat similar to those of meseres, but the inferomarginal are not. Even 

 in such a tiny specimen Koehler found 12 spinelets on the largest paxillae and 10 on the 

 others. Koehler states that the inferomarginal paxillae "se distinguent de celles du 

 reste de la face dorsale, non pas par le developpement particulier de leurs pignants qui 

 ne sont pas plus grands que les autres, mais par I'epaississement et I'allongement de 

 leur tige". In meseres the inferomarginal spinelets are not only larger and more 

 numerous than those of the abactinal paxillae but they are of a different form. They lack 

 the conspicuous denticulations characteristic of the abactinal spinelets. 



This small type of Paralophaster asperatiis has 4 furrow spines, and 3 subambulacrals 

 "tres forts et allonges". Koehler states that the spines have "une structure analogue a 

 ceux des paxilles dorsales, mais ils sont plus forts et leurs denticulations terminales sont 

 un peu plus nombreuses ". That is, the denticulations are in excess of 2-4 on each of the 

 3 flanges. In meseres the subambulacrals have only a few terminal denticles as shown in 

 2b, left, but exceptionally as many as shown in zb, right. They seem nearer to the 

 typical subambulacral oi godefroyi figured by Koehler (1920, pl. 65, fig. 9, d). 



Finally, in spite of having more numerous adambulacral furrow spines than meseres, 

 asperatiis has only 5 marginal mouth spines. In respect to general appearance it is 

 evident that meseres, with its prominent inferomarginal paxillae and their numerous 

 spinelets conspicuously longer than the abactinals, more nearly resembles P. godefroyi. 

 But it must be remembered that the specimen of asperatiis is too young to afi'ord a 

 definitive picture of the species. It appears, however, to be distinct irom. godefroyi. 



