JAPANESE ASTEROÏDE A. G49 



smaller and 5-8 on each plate at the interbracliial angle ; on the 

 actinal side the spines are longer and shaped like those of the 

 ventrolateral plates but smaller, six or seven on each plate and 

 arranged parallel to one another in the form of a brush. 



Adambulacral j^lcites.—Tho adambulacral plates bear two rows of 

 spines. The furrow series consists of four or five spines united 

 together by a web -like membrane ; of these however only three 

 are usually large and face the ambulacral furrow, while the other 

 one or two are exceedingly small and generally covered over en- 

 tirely by the membrane and turned more or less away from the 

 furrow, so that they are apt to be overlooked, especially in wet 

 alcoholic specimens. When the spines of a group are well separa- 

 ted the palmate form of the group and its slight obliqueness with 

 respect to the furrow can be distinctly seen, but when they are 

 close together only the three large spines can be seen ; and it is 

 on this account that I refer my specimens to Peeeter's A, novce- 

 pjelandiœ in spite of his discordant statement on this point. On 

 the actinal face of the adambulacral plates there is a second row 

 of spines which are stouter than those of the inner, and are also 

 connected together by a web -like membrane. There are in tliis 

 row likewise four or five spines on each plate, l)ut generally only 

 three of them are stout ; and when they are pointed away from 

 the ambulacral furrow only the stout ones can be seen (PI. XIX, 

 fig. 281). 



Mouth- plates. ~^h.Q; month-plates are comparatively large, and 

 each bears on the furrow margin 5 or 6 straight spines united 

 together by a membrane in the basal half, and liccoming gradual- 

 ly shorter away from the mouth. On the actinal surface of each 

 mouth-plate there are three or four spines forming a curved row 



