STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 121 



association of very dissimilar forms under one specific name, yet 

 notwithstanding this they m.ay each represent but a form of a highl}^ 

 polymorphic species. I know of no Avay to settle the question with 

 the available material. The presence of gaps between the types has 

 been my reason for regarding them as separate species. 



PERSEPHONASTER TENUIS Fisher. 



Plate 22, fig. 1 ; plate 23, fig. 2 ; plate 30, fig. 1 ; plate 37, figs. 1, la-d. 

 Persephonaster tennis Fisher, 1913a, p. 615. 



Diagnosis. — A slender-rayed species with blocklike conspicuous 

 marginals, which are not markedly tumid as in the "cingulate" 

 species such as viuUicincfus, cingulatus, and roulei' supcromarginals 

 with slightly wider dorsal than lateral face ; lateral face of ray per- 

 pendicular, the upper and lower margin evenly and abruptly rounded ; 

 superomarginal plates without conspicuous spines; inferomarginals 

 narrow^, with lateral comb of, proximally, 5 rather short slender ap- 

 pressed spines, and 1 actinal spinule on the proxijnal i)lates only; 

 furrow spines 7 or 8; subambulacrals 4 to 7 proximally, distally 8 

 to 10; a few fasciculate adambulacral pedicellariae. R=81 mm., 

 r=18 mm., R=-1.5 r; breadth of ray at base, 20 mm., at tenth supero- 

 marginal, about 11 mm. 



TJescriftion. — Paxillar area rather narrow, but supcromarginals 

 narrower than in lusonicvs^ so that the area appears wider than in 

 that species (although of about the same width). Paxillae arranged 

 as in foregoing species and of nearly the same size and shape, being 

 low tabulate but with slightly larger and fewer spinelets. A large 

 paxilla from interradial area has about 15 to 18 peripheral and 8 to 

 12 central, terete, slender, blunt, or bluntly pointed spinelets, a little 

 longer than the low tabulum. Many paxillae have an inconspicuous 

 central fasciculate or fasciculate-pectinate pedicellaria with 4 to 6 

 spiniform jaws. 



Superomarginals 37, much less tumid than in muUicincfics, and 

 about as tumid as in luzonicus; dorsal face slightly wider than the 

 lateral, the angle betw^een the two evenly rounded. The transverse 

 fascicles between the plates are shallow and more abrupt than in 

 muUicinctus^ the tumidity being near the aboral margin and not in 

 the middle. Plates covered with very small, slender appressed squami- 

 form spinelets, which beyond the middle of ray become enlarged 

 into 1 to 3 short appressed inconspicuous spinules. Terminal plate 

 slender, subcylindrical, longer than wide, with a conspicuous ter- 

 minal spine and a much smaller spinelet on either side. 



Inferomarginals narrower than in luzonicus,' lateral face a little 

 r.arrower than that of superomarginals and bearing a slightly ob- 

 lique comb of proximally 5, distally 3 or 4, slender, appressed, sharp 



