ASTEROIDEA 263 



Diagnosis. Actinal plates in two or more prominent longiseries forming the actinal 

 or the actinal and actinolateral surfaces of ray (and not dominated or overhung by the 

 inferomarginal plates) ; adambulacral plates diplacanthid, without attached pedicellariae ; 

 large unguiculate straight pedicellariae; plates of the abactinal area of ray have the 

 appearance of forming definite longiseries, the carinals and superomarginals being 

 conspicuously regular, and the dorsolateral area generally rather narrow with the plates 

 in discernible longiseries; actinostome sunken, the adoral carina long, consisting of 

 three or more contiguous pairs of adambulacral plates ; gonads opening dorsally ; not 

 paedophoric. 



Southern Hemisphere. 



Until this genus is subjected to a revision based upon the study of a thousand or so 

 specimens it will not be possible to determine whether one polymorphic species, or 

 several species inhabit the Magellan-Falkland region. 



Cosmasterias lurida (Philippi) 



AsteracanthioH luridum Philippi, Arch. Naturges., xxiv, 1858, p. 265. 

 Asteracanthion sucifer Perrier, Ann. Set. Nat., 1869, p. 235. 

 Asterias sulcifera Perrier, Rev. StelL, 1875, p. 58. 



Asterias (Cosmasterias) sulcifera Sladen, 1889, p. 562.— Leipoldt, 1895, p. 552 (literature list). 

 Comaterias sulcifera Perrier, 1891, p. 160. 

 Cosmasterias sulcifera Perrier, 1894, p. 107. 



Cosmasterias lurida Ludwig, 1903, p. 40.— de Loriol, 1904, p. 39, pi. 3, figs. 2, 3.— Koehler, 1912, 

 p. 22, pi. 2, figs. 1-7; pi. 5, fig. 8; 1923, p. 39.— Fisher, 1930, p. 227. 



To this species Leipoldt, 1895, unites Asteracanthion davatiim Philippi, A. fulvum 

 Philippi, A. spectabile Philippi, A. mite Philippi, and Stichaster polygammiis Sladen. 



St. 1902. 49° 48' S, 67° 39-5' VV, 47 m., I specimen. 

 St. WS 78. 51° 01' S, 68 ' 04' 30" W, 95 m., fine dark sand, i specimen. 

 St. WS 84. 4i miles south, 9" W of Sea Lion Island, East Falkland Island, 19 specimens. 

 St. WS 85. 7i miles south, 9° W of Sea Lion Island, East Falkland Island, 75-74 m., coarse sand, 

 shells, stones, 3 specimens. 



St. WS 583. 53° 39' S, 70° 54' W, 14-78 m., 7 specimens. 

 St. WS 762A. 43° 50' S, 65° 01' 51" W, 67-65 m., I specimen. 

 St. WS 776. 46° i8i' S, 65° 021' W, 107-99 m., 5 specimens. 



This species has multispinous and paucispinous forms paralleling the behaviour of 

 Evasterias and Pisaster of the Pacific coast of North America. A very multispinous 

 specimen having an arcuate transverse row of 4 or 5 tubercles on the carinal plates, a 

 similar number on the superomarginals, and consecutive transverse dorsolateral series 

 of 5 or 6, was taken at St. WS 762 A. At St. WS 84 were taken paucispinous and inter- 

 mediate specimens, with 1-3 superomarginal and carinal spines. In one example the 

 spines are small while the unguiculate straight pedicellariae are very numerous. The 

 same variation occurs in Pisaster brevispimis , which this specimen superficially resembles 

 (Fisher, 1930, pi. 91, fig. 2, iorma paucispimis). 



It seems to me probable that Cosmasterias tomidata Sladen ( = C. germaini Philippi) is 



a form of lurida. 



25-2 



