48 " ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS 



Eleven miles south by east of Ballina, New South Wales, 

 27-29 fathoms. 



East-south-east of Clarence River mouth, New South 

 Wales, 35-36 fathoms. 



Stellaster inspinosus,! sp. nov. 

 (Plate xiii., fig. 1-2.) 



R = 60 or 75 mm. ; r=23 or 27 mm. ; R=2.6 r. Br at 

 middle of ray, 11 or 14 mm. Very similar to 8. incei, but 

 differing sharply in several features. The marginal plates, 

 though of essentially the same number, encroach more on 

 both surfaces than in S. incei ; as a result, the median radial 

 series of abactinal plates is accompanied by lateral series only 

 to about the fourth (from interradius) superomarginal and 

 there are practically no papulae on the distal half of the arm, 

 while in *S'. incei the lateral series extend to about the eighth 

 plate and the papulae occur far out on the arm ; on the lower 

 surface, there are only about 10 actinolateral plates in each 

 area, aside from the series adjoining the adambulacrals, while 

 in S. incei there are 12-20. The pedicellariae on the adambu- 

 lacral plates are strikingly taller and more slender in S, 

 inspinosus than in *S'. incei, while the big actinal spine is much 

 smaller. More important is the fact that there are no spines 

 on the inferomarginal plates, save that on some arms, the 

 fifth (rarely the sixth) inferomarginal has a very small, flat 

 spinelet, about .75 mm. long, on its outer distal corner. 

 Finally, the granulation is finer in S. inspinosus than in 8. 

 incei and the abactinal tubercles are fewer, 10 in the smaller 

 specimen, but only 2 in the larger. Colour (dry), very pale 

 brown. 



This Starfish is of particular interest not merely because it 

 seems to replace *S'. incei on the west coast of AustraHa, but 

 because it is apparently a connecting hnk between the genera 

 Stellaster and Ogmaster. Fisher^ thinks " there is no 

 particular similarity between Stellaster and Ogmaster," but 

 I am unable to agree with him. Indeed, I should be 

 inchned to say there is no important difference between 

 the two. Ogmaster is only a Stellaster which has lost 

 its spines and granulation, and this new West Australian 

 species, *S'. inspinosus, is quite intermediate in that 



1. I nspinosus=vf ithout spines; in reference to the absence of spines 

 of the inferomarginal plates. 



2. Fisher— Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., Ixxvi., 1911, p. 169. 



