STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 113 



disk, with upward of 60 or even more spinelets, and usually a central 

 pedicellaria with 6 or 8 jaws. These may represent the primary 

 apical plates. 



Dorsal plates or bases of paxillae, broadly elliptical or subcircular, 

 with 4 to 6 shallow notches on border. Papulae 6 about a plate, but 

 absent from a narrow radial streak and center of disk. 



Marginal plates massive. Superomarginals, 40 to a ray, are broad 

 and tumid both as regards the cross and longitudinal axes, and are 

 confined to the abactinal surface beyond the first half dozen plates. 

 Proximally the plates are higher than wide, but they soon become 

 much wider than high, and form a tumid raised border to the 

 paxillar area. Inferomarginals extending laterally beyond the su- 

 peromarginals. On the highest part of the plate, near the distal 

 margin, is ]^orne a transverse appressed comb of proximalh' 4 to 7, 

 and distally 3 to 5, fiat, sharp spines, the median or outer admedian 

 usually the longest and about equaling the length of plate. On the 

 proximal plates there is usually a second series of shorter spines 

 just adorally to the first, which, farther along ray, are represented 

 by several unequall}' enlarged, sharp, squamiform spinelets. The 

 median transverse area of the plate is covered with closely appressed, 

 acute, ovate squamules, which are rapidly transformed, toward the 

 margins, into erect terete papilliform spinelets. 



Inferomarginal plates much wider than long, and with an extensive 

 sloping actinal face, forming a prominent, slightly arched, beveled 

 border to the actinal surface, the outer end of the plate being rounded, 

 tumid, and projecting beyond the superomarginals. The width of 

 a plate about equals the length of 2. The armature consists of a lat- 

 eral comb of proximally 5 and distally 4 or 5 long, slender, sharp, 

 slightly curved spines on the outer end of the plate, the next to the 

 lowest, or the lowest being the longest; or the 3 lowermost are sub- 

 equal and equal to the length of 2.5 inferomarginal plates. Con- 

 tinuing this series along the distal margin toward the inner end of 

 the plate are proximally 4 or 5 and distally 2 or 3 sharp, appressed, flat 

 tened. much shorter spines. Proximally this series reaches nearly to 

 inner end of plate, but on the distal half of the ray the inner half of 

 the plate is free from spines. In addition to these, the plates of the 

 proximal half of the ray have a second comb of lateral spines parallel 

 to and covered by the outer comb. This is a variable feature and is 

 well developed only on the first 10 plates, but a remnant of the series 

 in the form of a single spine continues nearly to the end of ray. 

 There are usually 3 to 5 spines (considerably shorter than the other 

 lateral spines) and several shorter spinules. The surface of the plate 

 is cohered with medium-sized, ovate or obovate imbricating, appressed 

 squamules, with broad rounded ends. They are specialized into a 



