JAPANESE A8TEE0IDEA. 



in the present contribution, since such a work can not in my 

 opinion be done with profit without an examination of a larger 

 number of species than have come into my hands, and above all 

 without a study of the type specimens. I have also included in 

 this monograph historical reviews of those species which have been 

 reported from Japanese waters but which are not represented in 

 any of the collections enumerated at the outset. 



The abbreviations used in the text are I believe self-ex- 

 planatory, except perhaps " ms ", which denotes the number of 

 superomarginal plates. 



It may be mentioned in passing that the Asteroidea of the 

 " Albatross" Expedition in the north-western Pacific in 1906 are 

 being worked out by the writer, and that several species new to 

 science or to the seas covered by the Expedition will be added. 



Finally, it is a pleasure to me to acknowledge my indebted- 

 ness to the late Prof. H. Ludwig of Bonn, Prof. E. Peekier of 

 Paris, Dr. F. A. Bathee of the Natural History Department of the 

 British Museum, Dr. W. K. Fishee of Stanford University, Dr. J. 

 A. Geieg of Bergen, Dr. T. Moetensen of Copenhagen, Prof. G. 

 H. Paeker of Harvard University, and Prof. C. Haetlaub of 

 Helgoland. 



ARCHASTERIDyE, 



Archaster typicus Müller & Troschel. 



Tliis species is not represented in any of the collections examined by 

 me, and its occmTence in Japanese waters is not very certain, being founded 

 on a specimen (or specimens) in the Berlin Musemn referred to by von 

 ^Martens ['65, p. 353]. Its &st description by Müller and Troschel 

 ['40a, p. 323] is not accessible to me. Gray mentions it in the same year 

 under the name of Astropecten steUaris ['40, p. 181]. It is the third of his 



