JAPANESE ASTEIÎOIDEA. 611 



" Astérie cariuifère. listerias carinifera. " A. pentagona, angulis por- 

 rectis ; margine aculeato ; tlorso carinis quinqne aculeatis muricato. 



"Mus. n°. 



" Habite Elle provient du voyage de Féroii et Je Sueur. Cette 



astérie ressemble tellement à la précédente^ ^ par sou aspect, qu'on pouiTait 

 présumer qu'elle n'en est tju'une variété. Cependant, au lieu de papilles 

 digitiformes sur ses scutelles marginales, elle offre une série de piquants 

 simples, et sur son dos ou voit cinq côtes tranchantes et spinifères." 



Perreer, as will be seen below, thinks that the pln-ase " dorso carinis 

 quinque aculeatis muricato " does not well fit the present species, but this 

 difficulty is obviated if one assumes that it refers to the animal as a whole 

 and not to each arm. 



Blainville ['34, p. 238] simply mentions this species, referring to 

 L.\3L\RCK. It is also mentioned by Müller and Troschel in their paper of 

 1840 {vide supra). 



The generic name Gymnasteria is due io Gray, who mentions two 

 species, which, however, are regarded by subsequent writers as one ['40, p. 

 278] : 



" 1. Gymnasteria spinosa. Rays triangular, tapering, about one quaiier 

 longer than the width of the body, witli a dorsal series of conical C3dindric- 

 al tubercles. Young witli a few spines on the margin and back of the 



arms. AUied to Porania. 



« 



" Inhab. Panama, fine sand 16 fathoms. H. Cuming Esq. 



" 2. Gymnasteria inermis. Eays rapidly tapering, convex above with- 

 out any spine. 



" Inhab. Panama, fine sand, 10 fathoms. Half the size of the yoimg, 

 spiued specimens of the former species." 



Müller and Troschel give the following description in the " S^'stem " 

 ['42, p. 63] : 



" Species 1. Asteropsis carinifera Nob. 



" Asterias carinifera Lajvi. H, p. 556. 



" Fünf Arme. Verhältniss des kleinen zum grossen Eadius wie 1 : 2|. 



1) Aderias equestris =z Ilippd.stfrid pla7ut, = Astrojonium phryjiaiuan. 



