STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS, 71 



with 2 or 3 short lobes on papular area of disk; along median area 

 of ray and center of disk they are broadly elliptical to roundish, 

 entire, and on central part of disk much smaller and imbricated. 

 Papulae are lacking in central area of disk and along median radial 

 area of ray. .Crown of larger paxillae at base of ray with 4 to 10 

 central, short, clavate, granuliform spinelets and 12 to 15 longer 

 round-tipped peripheral ones. 



The superficial superomarginal granules are subcircular, and 

 stubby to appressed squamiform, and round tipped, becoming ab- 

 ruptly slender laterally. The iuferomarginal plates extend slightly 

 beyond superomarginals laterally. Inferomarginal armature spini- 

 form and not squamiform as in A. zehra. The spines are also more 

 numerous in the adult specimens. A fairly typical marginal plate 

 from the middle of the proximal half of ray has a prominent, flat- 

 tened, sharp, lateral spine at its upper and outer end, 2.5 plates in 

 length. Immediately below it is a semicircle of 3 or 4 sharp, slenderer 

 spines about two-thirds its length. Outside this, forming a concen- 

 tric semicircle, still at outer end of platOj, are 5 or 6 still smaller 

 slenderer spinules, and extending transversely along plate a little 

 aboral to middle is a straight series of 5 or 6 spinules, subequal, at 

 outer end of series, to spinules of the second lateral auxiliary series, 

 thence increasing slightly in length toward inner end of plate. The 

 general covering of plate consists of spaced slender spinelets, sharp 

 when dried, but blunt in alcoholic specimens. 



The adambulacral armature consists of a long, median, curved, 

 compressed furrow spine with a considerably shorter and slenderer 

 one on either side. The subambulacral spines are in 2 series, the 

 inner consisting of 2 tapering round-tipped spines a little longer 

 than the lateral furrow spines, and the aboral the longer of the 2; 

 behind these is a row of 3 or 4 smaller spinelets, or a group of 3 to 

 5. In small specimens only 2 are present. First mouth plate much 

 compressed with 2 transverse series of about 10 spines each. 



Actinal interradial areas extremely small. There are 2 fair-sized 

 plates back of the mouth plates, and 1 or 2 additional plates to either 

 side of these. The spinelets are closely coordinated and form in 

 some cases incipient fasciculate or pectinate pedicellariae. 



Mouth plates very narrow. Marginal series occupies only the inner 

 half of each plate and consists of about 7 spines, cylindrical and 

 blunt, increasing in length toward the inner, which is about as long 

 as one-third or one-half interradial length of plates. There is a reg- 

 ular superficial series of 8 to 10 subequal tapering blunt spines which 

 commonly touch over the suture like a gigantic pectinate pedicellaria. 

 These spines are about as long as the lateral furrow spines and are 

 sometimes a trifle flattened. 



Madreporic body close to margin, partly concealed. 



