JAPANESE ASTEEOIDEA. 37 



The large single spiues on the odd interradial marghial plates are usually 

 lono-, tapered, acute, and distinctly larger and longer than those on the disk. 

 The lower marginal ])lates generally bear, in large specimens, one large, 

 primary, acute spine, and one or two, rarely three, secondary ones below it, 

 besides several small, slender, divergent, rough spinelets scattered around 

 their bases. The adambulacral plates, in such specimens, generally have 

 two or tln^ee long, slender, rough spines on the actinal side, besides several 

 small, slender, spinelets, on the actinal margin ; the angular and salient 

 inner margin usually bears about seven slender spines in a V-shaped group. 

 " I have seen a few regular fom--rayed specimens, and also one peculiar 

 monstrosity, in which a small supplementary ray l)uds out from the side of 

 the regular ray, near the base. This species occurred at many stations in 

 721 to 2021 fathoms." 



Wood-Mason and Alcock mention this species under Sladen's name 

 from the dredgings of the "Investigator," and adds ['91, p. 428], "One 

 specimen from station 111, 1664 fathoms. Colour in fresh state uniform 

 salmon-red." Alcock ['93, p. 75] again refers to it as follows : " Bay of 

 Bengal, on a bottom of Globigerina-ooze, in 1664 fathoms. Colom- uniform 

 salmon-red." 



In his paper of 1895 Vekeill makes some fm-ther remarks on this 

 species as follows ['95, p. 129] : / \n 



" Bathymetrical range, 721-2021 fathoms. Most common in 1200 to 1600 

 fathoms. It was taken at 60 stations, between N. lat. 42° 47' and 35° 10', by 

 the U. S. Fish Commission. Off the coast of Portugal (t. Sl.\den). 



"The genus Parar chaster Sladen (1889) is synonymous with Bentho- 

 peden (1884). This is a strictly deap-sea genus, none of the species 

 occm-ring in less than 400 fathoms. It is foimd in all the oceans. The 

 following additional species were described by Mr. Sladen : — 



B. splnosisshnvs (Sl.) V., Atlantic 425 fath. 



B. simplex (Peeeiee) V., Caribbean 1323 „ 



B. antardicus (Sl.) V., Southern Ocean 1675 „ 



B. pedid/er (Sl.) V., „ „ 1600-1900 „ 



B. semisqiiamatus (Sl.) V., Pacific 565-1875 „ 



^. 



