STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 145 



Genus DIPSACASTER Alcock. 



Dipsacaster Alcock, 1893, p. 87. Type, D. sladeni Alcock. 



KEY TO THE Sl'ECIES OF DirSACASTEH HEREIN nESrUIRED. 



«.^ Paxillae with very numerous, long, slender, terete, sharp spinelets ; no dif- 

 ferentiated marginal spines. 

 b.^ Rays narrower ; odd interradial series of actinal intermediate plates nearly 

 or qiiite reaching the margin ; paxillar spinelets shorter and less deli- 

 cate ; furrow spines, 7 or 8 nesiotes, p. 145. 



h." Rays broader, not narrowed at base ; odd interradial series of actinal in- 

 termediate plates reaching only a little more than halfway to margin ; 

 paxillar spines very delicate and sharp ; furrow spines, 8 or 9. 



imperialis, p. 14G. 

 fl.^ Paxillae with upward of 25 .short, blunt, clavate, or subterete, thorny spine- 

 lets; 2 or 3 small differentiated marginal .spinules diapJiorus, p. 152. 



DIPSACASTER NESIOTES Fisher. 



Plate 41, fig. 2. 



Dipsacaster nesiotes Fishee 1906, p. 1026, pi. 9, fig. 3, 3«; pi. 10, fig. 2, a~b ; 

 pi. 12, fig. 1, 2. 



Specimens examined. — Two, one from each of the following sta- 

 tions:* 



Station 5623, between Gillolo and Makyan Islands, Molucca Islands 

 (lat. 0° 16' 30'' N.; long. 127° 30' E.), 272 fathoms, fine sand, mud. 



Station 5621, near above locality (lat. 0° 12' 15" N.; long. 127° 

 29' 30" E.), 288 fathoms, fine sand, mud. 



DistriMition. — Hawaiian Islands and Molucca Islands, 272 to 308 

 fathoms, fine sand and mud. 



Remarks. — This species was taken hj the Alhatross in 283 to 308 

 fathoms among the Hawaiian Islands. None of the specimens were 

 as large as that from station 5624, which is a veritable giant, having 

 R=182 mm., r=58 mm., and R=3.14 r. The example from station 

 5623 is the same size as the type. In this example the superomar- 

 ginals are \Q,Yy slightly wider than those of tj^pe, but there is varia- 

 tion among the Hawaiian specimens. The large example has nar- 

 rower superomarginals even than the type, and matches a specimen 

 from station 3908, Hawaiian Islands. 



A characteristic of both young and adults of this species is the 

 fact that the interradial series of actinal intermediate plates very 

 ncarh^ or quite reaches the margin at the interradial inferomarginal 

 suture. The rays are narrower than in most other species and usu- 

 ally are narrower at base. The figure of the type shown in figure 2 

 of plate 10, Hawaiian Starfishes, is a little misleading. Plate 12 is 

 better. In the first figure the ray is drawn a little too broad. 



Although the species resembles Dipsacaster sladeni. I think it is 

 perfectly distinct. The main differences are as foUoAvs: Sladeni 



