STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 79 



Remarks. — This species resembles most nearly Astropecten granu- 

 latus as redescribed by Sladen. The fully grown typical specimens 

 differ from granulatus in having much longer, narrower rays, a 

 different inferomarginal armature and smaller mouth plates. The 

 differences between the small specimens and granulatus have been 

 detailed under "Variations." 



Astropecten notograptus Sladen from the Mergui Archipelago 

 bears some resemblance to the young of this species. Sladen 's type 

 measures E, 16.5 mm.; r, 6 mm. It differs, however, in having much 

 larger paxillae, with short granuliform armature, and broader su- 

 peromarginals (which, like some of the young eucnemis, have a 

 tubercle on the first member) ; in having the marginal plates and 

 ndambulacral armature very closely resembling that of young Astro- 

 pecten mvnacanfhus, even to the characteristic spatulate subambula- 

 cral spines. The inferomarginal spinelets are, therefore, very 

 squamiform. In fact, notograptus is extremely close to monacanthus. 



This species falls in the monocanthus group of Doderlein, who 

 subdivides the section on the presence of inferomarginal spines on 

 the aboral edge of the plate {granulatus, orientalis) ; or on the ab- 

 sence of such spines (or "mit undeutlichen Stachelen — die ersten 2 

 Flatten konnen kurze Stacheln tragen"). The second subsection 

 includes monacanthus, notograptus, granulatus, indicus, honnieri, 

 sarasinorum new, malayanvs new, umhrinus, pusillus. A. eucnemis, 

 with its long rays and inferomarginal spines, is quite distinct from 

 either orientalis (having broad, heavy superomarginal plates) or 

 granulatus. 



ASTROPECTEN EREMICUS Fisher. 



Plate 13, fig. 2; plate 15, figs. 3, 3a-e. 

 Astropecten eremicus Fishee, 1913a, p. 605. — Doderlein, 1917, pp. 50, 175. 



Diagnosis. — Disk small, rays flexible and fairly long; relation of 

 R to r variable, in type, 11=51 mm., r=9 mm., R=5.66 r; breadth 

 of ray at base, 11 mm. Paxillae small, not crowded, and with few 

 spinelets; abactinal spiniform pedicellariae ; superomarginals un- 

 armed, wholly abactinal; inferomarginals extending laterally bej^ond 

 superomarginals; lateral spines 2, the upper the longer, and equal- 

 ing about 2.5 plates in length, and in addition an actinal marginal 

 spine near the adambulacral plates (on proximal half of ray) ; 

 adambulacral plates with 4 or 5 slender furrow spines, and 5 or 6 

 similar subambulacral spines in 2 longitudinal series; sometimes a 

 prominent subambulacral pedicellaria with 4 to 6 spiniform jaws is 

 present. 



Descrijjtion. — Paxillar area narrow on ray. Paxillae small and 

 spaced, with slender, relatively high pedicels bearing a few cylin- 

 drical delicate blunt membrane invested spinelets, slightly shorter 



