JAPANESE ASTEROIDEA. 255 



but they may also be more or less like the oral spines in shape. 

 The area bearing these conical spines, is generally depressed, and 

 a distinct furrow is present on each plate (PI. VIII, fig. 136, 137). 

 The abcentral part of the surface of each mouth -plate is thickly 

 covered with numerous spines, not very long, irregular in shape, 

 some pointed but most of them with rough ends, and striated 

 lengthwise. The spines along the border facing the first adam- 

 bulacral plate are pointed and conical. The spines covering the 

 abcentral part of each mouth-plate are some fifty or sixty in 

 number, making from one hundred to one hundred and twenty for 

 each pair of mouth-plates. 



Ventrolaterals. — Tlie ventrolateral areas are very large, and the 

 plates very numerous, there being about 185 in each interradius. 

 They are regularly arranged in obhquely transverse rows correspond- 

 ing to each adambulacral plate, and reach out to near the end of 

 the arms. The rows corresponding to the first adambulacrals do not 

 reach the marginals, and there are five or six plates for these two 

 adambulacrals in each interradius. The plates next the adambula- 

 crals are tolerably large, but those away from them gradual- 

 ly diminish in size outwards, so that the plates adjoining the 

 marginals in the interbrachial arc are very small. The ventrolateral 

 plates are uniformly and thickly covered with very smaU spines 

 exactly like those of the inferomarginals (PI. VIII, fig. 138). They 

 appear to be always directed towards the lateral margin of the 

 body: Between the plates is left enough soft tissue to allow them 

 a good deal of movement. 



Paxillce.—The paxillae are well spaced and a good deal of 

 soft tissue is present between their bases. When the coronal 

 spinelets are removed and the tabulum is taken out, it is seen 



