52 " ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



broken up ; all the plates resemble those of the abactinal 

 surface. Papulae occur everywhere except between the 

 adambulacrals, and on distal half of ray, between the adam- 

 bulacral series and the adjoining actinolateral series. The 

 granulation on the actinolateral plates near the mouth is 

 coarser, more angular and more widely sjiaced than elsewhere. 

 Adambulacral plates more than 70, wider than long ; furrow 

 margin with 3 (distally 2) stout, prismatic, blunt spines, 

 rather more than a millimeter long ; back of this series is a 

 second of 2 or rarely 3, short, stout, angular spinelets or 

 granules ; external to them are 5-8 smaller, angular granules 

 similar to those on the actinolateral plates ; except near the 

 mouth, these are usually in two series with 1-3 granules in 

 the inner and 4 or 5 in the outer. Oral plates not conspicuous 

 or peculiar, the marginal and surface spines being essentially 

 hke those on the adambulacral plates, though longer, more 

 pointed and more sharply prismatic. No pedicellariae any- 

 where, unless pairs, trios and quartettes of low, angular 

 spinelets, more or less appressed to each other, on some of the 

 plates near the mouth, are to be so interpreted. Colour (dry), 

 dirty brownish- white. Three specimens. 



The form and size of this Fromia, in connection with its 

 comparatively uniform granulation and its adambulacral 

 armature, easily distinguish it from the other members of the 

 genus. I do not feel certain that the Western Austrahan speci- 

 men is conspecific with those from Tasmania ; it has R=65 

 mm.; r=16mm. ; br=16mm. ; br at middle of ray 11 mm., 

 and at tip 3 mm. ; hence R is only 4 r, and only 4 br ; more- 

 over, the arms are httle flattened and taper uniformly to the 

 slender tip, while there are, as a rule, 3 spines in the second 

 adambulacral series. These differences are so shght, it is 

 sufficient to mention them here and await more abundant 

 material. I am further constrained to do this because there 

 is a Fromia in the Museum of Comparative Zoology collection, 

 from Westernport, Victoria, the gift of Mr. J. Gabriel, which 

 is certainly very near to the present species. In it R = 65 

 mm., and r and br are 16 mm., but br at middle of ray is 13 

 mm., and at tip is nearly 4 mm. ; hence the individual is 

 much stouter in appearance than either the Western Austrahan 

 or Tasmanian specimens ; the granulation and adambulacral 

 armature also are noticeably coarser and the papulae, especi- 

 ally on the actinal surface, seem larger ; the terminal plate 

 and adjoining marginal and abactinal plates are perfectly 

 smooth, but it is possible that the granulation has been 

 accidentally rubbed off. A good series of Fromias from the 

 western and southern coasts of Australia, and from Tasmania, 



