JAPANESE ASTEEOIDEA. 311 



marginal series of paxillse. The furrows are mostly radiating, 

 simple and rather shallow. 



Locality. — From the vicinity of Otaru and Ishikari, both in 

 Hokkaido. 



Eemarks. — This species appears to prey upon echinoids, be- 

 cause two of the specimens that have come into my hands con- 

 tained in their stomach an entire shell of a species probably of 

 the genus Echinarachnius in a semi -decalcified state. The echi- 

 noid was in one case slightly larger than the disk of the starfish, 

 and the latter was in consequence somewhat disfigured. 



This species is perhaps nearly related to L. chefuensis Geube 

 (Jahres-Ber. schles. G-esellsch. f. vaterl. Cultur, 1876, p. 28), the 

 description of which I have not been able to see. 



Specimens in S., some donated to S. C. 



PENTAGONASTERIDJE. 

 JPentagonaster, Tosia, Mediaster, 



I am aware that the genus Pentagonaster in the loose sense 

 in which it is used here requires revision. Veebill ['99, p. 183] 

 has referred P. japonicus Sladen and P. arcuatus Sladen to 

 MecUaster ; but it seems to me that there is no doubt that the 

 first mentioned species belongs together with such forms as 

 Pentagonaster patagonicus Sladen, Tosia leptocerama Fishee and 

 Pentag. mortenseni Kœhlee, while P. arcuatus Sladen, P. misakiensis 

 n. sp., P. cuenoti Kœhlee, Tosia {Ceramastcr) micropelta Fishee, 

 and P. ernesti Ludwig form another natural group which gradually 

 passes into MecUaster through such forms as M. cequalis Stimpson 

 and M. ornatus Fishee. There is nearly as gradual a transition 

 between the first group wliich has been usually called Tosia by 



