92 ECHINODERMS OF THE BRITISH ISLES 



Moray Firth, but apparently not farther south along the North 

 Sea coasts ; it is also recorded from the Lousy Bank. Elsewhere 

 distributed from Trondhjemfjord on the Scandinavian coasts to 

 the Bay of Biscay ; not known from the American coast. It 

 has been found at depths of ca. 10-1000 m., but appears to be 

 more common in shallower depths, down to ca. 200-300 m. 



2. Poraniomorpha Danielssen and Koren. 

 (Syn. Rhegaster Sladen ; Lasiaster Sladen ; Culcitopsis Verrill.) 



Disk large, convex, rays short, but generally distinct. Dorsal 

 side covered with a close coat of fine microscopical spines or with 

 small grains. Spines on lower marginals fine, not forming a 

 distinct fringe along edge of disk. 



Only one species is known from the British seas, but another 

 species, P. tiimida (Stuxberg), will be found very likely in the 

 cold area of the Faroe Channel. This is an Arctic species, dis- 

 tinguished from P. hispida by the disk being covered with fine, 

 rounded grains, and the lower marginals and oral interradial plates 

 being without spines. Papulae in grouj)s of generally less than 10. 



1. Poraniomorpha hispida (M. Sars). (Fig. 53.) 



(Syn. Goniaster hispidus M. Sars ; Lasiaster villosus Sladen ; 

 Rhegaster Murray i Sladen ; Poraniomorpha rosea Dan. and 

 Koren ; Culcita horealis Siissbach und Breckner ; Culci- 

 topsis borealis (Siissbach und Breckner).) 



Dorsal side covered by a close coat of fine spines. Papulae in 

 groups of ca. 20 or more. Marginals forming a rather distinct, 

 more or less vertical edge. Lower marginals with a group of short 

 spines forming a faint fringe around the disk. Oral interradial 

 areas with scattered, fine spines. Adambulacral plates wdth 

 2 furrow spines and 3-4 spines in a transverse series on the outer 

 side. R = ca. 1-5-2 r. Grows to size of ca. 80 mm. diameter. 

 Colour in life yellow or reddish -brown ; often only the arm points 

 reddish. 



The length of the arms rather varying ; in the more long- 

 rayed forms, the var. rosea Dan. and Koren, R is = 2 r ; but in 

 others the rays are so short that the body becomes almost penta- 

 gonal. Specimens with wart-like elevations on the dorsal side 

 have been distinguished as var. tuberculata. The disk may 

 be very much swollen ; such specimens have a superficial 

 resemblance to the tropical genus Culcita, and have, indeed, been 

 described as a northern species of this genus, Culcita borealis 



