STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPIXE SEAS. 43 



adambulacral, mouth, marginal and terminal plates is near that of 

 Ilyphalaster. Benthogenia might be described as a Hyphalaster 

 having cribriform organs between all the marginals, and a dorsal 

 cribriform organ on the distal portion of ray. The last, I believe, is 

 not found in any other genus, nor does any genus of the Porcellanas- 

 teridae have cribriform organs of an indefinite and large number. 

 The genus Lysaster Bell ^, the type of which I have had the privi- 

 lege of examining, seems to me to be a near relative of Thora- 

 caster. The actinal intermediate plates have numerous short, sharp 

 spines, and the adambulacral plates 4 sharp furrow and about 3 

 shorter sharp subambulacral spines. There are 7 cribriform organs 

 to each interradius, which extend ventrally nearly or quite to the 

 inner edge of the inferomarginals, the intermediate bare area being 

 equal to the width of the organ. There are no cribriform organs on 

 the ray, the most distal one being on the adoral margin of the first 

 superomarginals that meet medially. There are 10 or 11 supero- 

 marginals and the large terminal plate, overlying the 2 last supero- 

 marginals of each series, has 3 large spines. On each series of su- 

 peromarginals of the ray only are 1 or 2, usually 2, stout dorsal 

 acute spines — thus 3 or 4 to a ray. The paxillae are astropec- 

 tinoid, well developed, and the madreporic body is close to the 

 margin, exposed, and a little broader than width of exposed portion 

 of superomarginal. 



Family GONIOPECTINIDAE Verrill, emended. 



Goniopcctinidae Veebill, 1889, p. 213. — Fisheb, 1911d, pp. 17, 22; 1916a, 

 p. 2. 



Diagnosis. — Specialized fascioles or cribriform organs between 

 all the marginal plates; actinal plates in double transverse series, 

 there being between every pair a specialized f asciolar channel, roofed 

 by webbed spinelets, leading from the marginal fascioles to the 

 furrow; ampullae single; superambulacral plates present; abactinal 

 skeleton astropectinoid. 



Remarks. — In Asteroidea of the North Pacific and Adjacent 

 Waters (Fisher, 1911<f, p. 19) the family Goniopcctinidae, proposed 

 by Prof. A. E. Verrill, was said to differ from the Porcellanasteridae 

 in having double ampullae connected with the tube feet, and in hav- 

 ing an intestine and intestinal coecum. The component genera of the 

 Goniopcctinidae, Goniopecten and Prionaster., bear the closest resem- 

 blance to Ctenodlscus which has always heretofore been regarded 

 as one of the Porcellanasteridae. This resemblance results from 

 the similar characteristic biserial arrangement of the skin-covered 



* Report on the Echinoderma collected by Mr. J. Stanley Gardiner In the Western Parts 

 of the Indian Ocean. Trans. Linn. Soc. London, ser. 2, vol. 13, Zoology, October, 1909, 

 p. 21, pi. 3, Lysaster lorioU. By a lapsus Professor Bell placed tbis genus in tbe 

 Goniasteridae. The plate shows its cribriform organs and Porcellanasterid habit. 



