56 " ENDEAVOUR " SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



the two ; the adambulacral plates being short and over- 

 lapping, the spines are crowded close together in a very 

 regular and unbroken marginal series ; the actinal surface 

 of the plates is covered by the same coarse granulation, as the 

 actinolaterals bear ; at the very tip of the arm, there occur 

 scattered subambulacral spines, Hke those of Ophidiaster, 

 while close to the mouth, 3 or 4 plates in each series, carry 

 short heavy spines of the same nature, 1-2 mm. long, and 

 1-1.5 mm. thick at tip ; occasionally there are two such spines 

 on a plate. Oral spines similar to the adambulacrals but 

 somewhat heavier and more prismatic. Pedicellariae present 

 in very diverse numbers, of the usual Ophidiastrine type, each 

 about .75 mm. long, the valves nearly or quite .50 mm. wide and 

 with smooth valves, which are often low and wide ; in one 

 specimen they are fairly abundant on the abactinal surface, 

 but in the others only a very few occur, careful search reveaUng 

 one here and there on the papular areas ; I have found none 

 on the actinal surface. Colour (in alcohol), purplish-brown, 

 €ach arm with three broad, indistinct cross-bands of a hghter 

 shade ; lower surface pale grayish ; dried, the specimens 

 become pale, dingy fawn-colour. 



This remarkable linckiid is not a handsome Starfish but 

 this is, in part certainty, the effect of preservation. The 

 leathery nature of the body-wall, the form of the rays, the 

 Jiuge niadreporite, the absence of superambulacral plates, 

 the presence of pedicellariae and the calcareous plates of the 

 ampullae combine to make it a very unusual member of the 

 family. The tendency to develop subambulacral spines on 

 the oldest (near mouth) and youngest (near arm-tip) adambu- 

 lacral plates like those of Ophidiaster are suggestive of a 

 phylogenetic connection with that genus and perhaps we 

 shall not be far from the truth if we called Pseudophidiaster 

 a deep-water ophidiasterid. The smallest specimen before 

 mehasR=58mm. ; r=8mm. ; R = 7r; in other particulars, 

 it is not noteworthy. 



Locs. — Great AustraHan Bight, 80-120 fathoms. 



Thirty-six miles N. 58° E. of Cape Wickham, King Island, 

 Bass Strait. 



South of Gabo Island, Victoria, 200 fathoms. 



•Oyster Bay, Tasmania, 60 fathoms. 



