JAPANESE ASTEROroEA. 99 



" Bemai-hs. — Attention is again called to the marvellous variation ex- 

 liibitecT by this species and to its very extended range. It is extremely 

 doubtful if Gtenodiscus australis LÜtken, 1871, from off the east coast of 

 southern South America is a distinct species. The differences noted by 

 Sladen are among the most variable characters. Compare the various figra-es 

 of undoubted crispatus published herewith, and then the figm'es pubhshed by 

 Sladen. It would not be difficult to make at least two species in Bering 

 Sea and a third in the Sea of Japan with greater differencas than seem to 

 exist between ^australis' and ^procurator.' Peerier^^ has already expressed 

 the same doubt as to the difference between australis and Era-opean crispatus. 



*" Tliis sta.rfish, judging by its wide distribution, seems well adapted to 

 life on soft mud. The creatures are usually gorged with mud, from wliich 

 they evidently derive their food materials." 



Clark mentions it from Lower California as follows [ : 13, p. 188] : 



"A single small specimen (R = 15mm.) is all the collection contains of 

 this common and widespread sj^ecies. 



" Sation 5686. Off BaUenas Bay, west coast of Lower California, 930 

 fms. Bottom temp., 37.3°." 



Mortensen repoi-ts this starfish from Greenland as foUows [ : 13, p. 330] : 



" Forekomst (Occui-rence). Vest-Gr0nland : Igaliko (M0llee) Brede- 

 f jord, 10-ca. 500 m. ; Skovf jord, 65-ca. 400 m. ; Kvan-Fjord, 115-420 m. 

 (Stephensen, 1912) ; Arsuk (Barrett) ; Ivigtut (Moller) ; Sukkertoppen (Bis- 

 TRÜP, 1894) ; Nordre-Str0mf jord 50-380 m. (Dr. Nordmann, 1911) ; Akudlek, 

 Bredebugt, Jacobshavn (Traustedt, 1892) ; Hare-0 (' Valorous ' Exped.) ; 

 Karajak-Fjord (Yanhöffen) ; 63° 56' N. 53° 12' V. ; 64° 53' N. 53° 06' V., 

 203 Fv. (Wandel, 1889) ; QOP 45' N. 56° 30' V., ca. 200 Fv. ; 68° 20' N. 

 54° 03' v., 220-280 Fv. ; 69° 17' N. 52° 50' V., ca. 225 Fv. ; (' Tjalfe,' 

 1908-9). 



" 0st-Gr0nland : 74° 24' N. 19° 42' V., 130 Fv. ; 72° 25' N. 19° 33' V., 

 140 Fv. (Ryders Exp. 1891) ; 75° 58' N. 14° 08' V., 300 m. (Due d'Orléans, 

 1905) ; 77° N. 17^ V., 300 m. (Danmark-Exped. 1908). 



" Dybde (Depth) : ca. 10-1940 m. 

 1) "Exp. sei. Cap Horn, 1891, pp. 143, U4." 



