JAPANESE ASTEEOIDEA. 445 



" Pentaceros modestvs (T. 9). Arms ratlier depressed, broad, not quite 

 as long as the diameter of the body, with six or seven large convex tubercle 

 along the middle of the tipper sm-face ; the hinder tubercle with a smaller 

 tubercle on each side of it, forming an irregular ring of tubercles exterior 

 to the dorsal ones ; back wdtli a circular series of five large ovate blunt 

 sj)ines. Inliab. ?" 



For comparison Geay refers to Oreaster offinis Müll. & Trosch., 0. 

 cMnensis Müll. & Teosch., 0. tuherculatus M. T., Ästerias mammülata 

 AuD. (=0. mammiUatus M. T.), O. verrucosus M. T., Asterias stellata Mus. 

 Tessin. (=0. davatus M. T.), 0. carinatus, Asterias obtusata Lam. (=0. 

 obtusaius M. T.), Asterias ohtusangiäa Tjqpdù.. (=0. obtusangula), 0. regulus M. 

 T., 0. Orientalis M. T. and 0. gigas Lütken. 



Perriee, in his " Revision," regards P. modestus as a young form of P. 

 turritus [76, p. 5G; vide hifra, p. 477 under 0. nodosîis], but there is no doubt 

 that it is a distinct species, as may be seen from the description given below. 



Bell, in his revision of the genus Oreaster ['84], does not recognise 

 tliis species, probably following Perrier. Sladen ['89, p. 346] also regards 

 it as a synonym of 0. nodosus. 



I have only one specimen in alcohol, with r=29 mm. and 

 E=81 mm., giving the radial ratio 2.8. The actinal side is 

 plane, and the ventrolateral plates, though completely covered 

 over with a coarse granulation, are perfectly distinct. The abac- 

 tinal side of the disk, though elevated in the form of a pentagonal 

 turret, is comparatively low, and the cross section of the arms, 

 though triangular in form, is also much more depressed than in 

 0. nodosus, and the marginal plates have a tendency to bulge out 

 on the sides more than in that species (PI. XY, fig. 228, 229). 



Superomargincds. — There are 16-18 superomarginal plates in 

 my specimen ; they are comparatively large and project shghtly 

 more on the lateral margin than the inferomarginals ; another point 

 w'hich is rather notable is the fact that two or three of the su- 



