JAPANESE ASTEROIDEA. " 161 



spiniile. Less often one of the marginal spinelets is similarly enlarged (pi. 

 n, fig. 1 a), but the two never occm* on a single paxilla. 



" Superomarginal plates, 22 in number from interradial line to extremitj- 

 of i-ay, are much higher than broad and do not encroach conspicuously upon 

 paxillar area. They form a rectangular edge to the abactinal sm-face, and 

 the first plate is raised slightly above the level of the others. Except the 

 second plate, and on one ray the tliird, each bears a perpendicular, stout, 

 pointed, conical spine situated on the abactinal face, slightly nearer aboral 

 than adorai margin. The spine on first plate is longest and stoutest (as long 

 as the longest spine of any inferomarginal, 4.5 mm.), the series decreasing 

 in length toward tip of ray. The second superomarginal plate, wliich does 

 not l3ear a spine, is smaller than either the first or third and is crowded by 

 them. Plates are covered with small cyHndiical papilliform spinelets, which 

 become stouter and squamiform toward base of spines. Wide fasciolar grooves 

 between the plates (i.e., between the specialized, elevated exposed smfaces). 



"The inferomarginals, which are broader than high, correspond to 

 superomarginals in number and do not extend beyond them laterally. Each 

 plate beai-s a transverse series of 3 stout and relatively long, tapering, slightly 

 flattened, sharp-pointed spines, the upper longest ; to which is added a fom'th 

 spiniüe at inner end of series on third to seventh plates. First 2 plates 

 usually liave only 2 shoi-ter, widely spaced spines. Plates are covered with 

 slender papilliform spinelets in the fasciolar grooves and at upper end, these 

 becoming longer, strongly flattened, and bluntly rounded or cliisel-shaped at 

 tip, in the vicinity of spines, and on actinal sm-face generally. 



" Adambulacral armatm-e is in 3 series. The fun-ow series consists of 3 

 long, stout spinelets, the median longest, blunt, somewhat triangular in cross 

 section at its base, the lateral spinelets flattened and trimcate. Second 

 series consists of 2 stouter, much flattened, tnmcate spinelets, the one nearest 

 aboral margin being the larger. Tliird series consists of 3 blunt, flattened 

 spinelets somewliat smaller than the fmxow series, the median being usually 

 shghtly the longest of the 3 and most flattened. There is an odd spine, 

 smaller and pointed, situated behind the third series. In all there are usually 

 9 spines on each adambulacral plate. 



