JAPANESE ASTEEOIDEA. 295 



the organ being still maintained. Occasionally simillar peclicellarise ma>- 

 be found on the other paxillse of the abactinal surface, but their occiuTence 

 there is rare. 



" The infero-marginal plates bear only one lateral spine, placed at 

 the outer end of the plate, directed outward and often more or less appress- 

 ed to the margin of the ray. This spine is shoi-t, not more than 2.75 mm. 

 in length, compressed, though rather robust, tapering, pointed and often 

 subfusiform in outKne. On the median keel of the plate is a series of 

 small, subequal, squamiform spinelets, rather more than one-third the 

 length of the lateral spine, compressed, tapering, sometimes pointed, but 

 more frequently obtuse ; more or less appressed to the plate and directed 

 at an angle outward and towards the margin, over the aboral margin of 

 the infero-marginal plate. Additional similar spinelets may be present on 

 the inner side of this series and with the same direction, but this part of 

 the plate is usually occupied by veiy much smaller spinelets, which are 

 also often directed over the adorai margin, i.e. at an angle adorally and 

 towards the lateral margin. Occasionally the place of one of the larger 

 spinelets is occupied by a two-jawed forficiform pedicellaria, often near the 

 base of the lateral spine. The margins of the ridge are fringed with nume- 

 rous, delicate, 'equal, cilia-like spinelets ; and the walls of the deep fasciolar 

 fiuTow at the outer or upper part of the plates is densely covered with re- 

 markably fine ciliary spinelets. 



" The armatm-e of the adambulacral plates normall}- consists of three 

 spines and one large two-jawed forficiform pedicellaria. The tlu'ee spines 

 are an-anged one beliind the other, i.e., in transverse series in relation k) 

 the axis of the ray. The innermost or furi-ow spine, which is the shortest, 

 is delicate, compressed laterally, tapering, and slightly curved ; the second 

 spine is slightly longer, more robust, subtriangular in section, with an edge 

 towards the fun-ow, sometimes shghtly compressed laterally, tapering, point- 

 ed, and veiy faintly geniculate near the base. The outermost spine is 

 subequal in length to the last noticed, but straight, tapering, and obtusely 

 pointed. The pedicellaria stands at the adorai side of the outer spinelet, 

 to which it is subequal in length ; it is large and expanded at the base, 



