STAEFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 51 



iiiferomarginal plates. Rays 5. R = 105 mm., r = 23 mm., r = 4.0 r ; 

 breadth of ray at base, 24 mm.; at eighth iiiferomarginal, 12 mm. 

 Rays long, slender, tapering abruptly at base, then scarcely at all 

 until near the end; rays roughly rectangular in section (about half 

 as wide as high), the four angles abruptly rounded; disk moderate; 

 interbrachial arcs wide and open. Paxillae rather small ; madreporic 

 body medium sized; furrow spines, 10 or 11, and beyond base of ray, 

 a subambulacral spine which is slightly larger than inferomarginal 

 spine. 



Description. — Paxillar area narrow on outer two-thirds of ray, 

 and almost obliterated for the length of the distal 10 or 11 supero- 

 marginals, whicli very nearly touch medially. Paxillae small, rather 

 close-set, arranged in slightly oblique transverse rows on either side 

 of the radial line, where the plates are not more crowded. Some- 

 times the rows can be traced completely across the ray. About 9 of 

 them correspond to 2 superomarginals it the base of ray. The 

 abactinal plates are broadly elliptical to subcircular or faintly hexa- 

 gonal, and are not in contact. Those in the interradii are largest. 

 The tabulum or stalk of the paxilla is relatively high, has much the 

 same shape in section as the base (although often more compressed 

 or with several sides) and is crowned by a group of short, terete, 

 knobbed spinelets of which 6 to 9 ordinarily form the radiating 

 basally webbed peripheral series and 1 to 3 or none occupy center 

 of group. Relatively few large paxillae have 20 peripheral and 8 

 to 10 central spinelets. Papulae in sixes about each plate; absent 

 from midradial line, and a stellate area on center of disk. 



Marginal plates exactly correspond. Superomarginals (40 to a 

 ray) are higher than inferomarginals except on outer part of ray 

 where they are subequal, and where the former are wider than high. 

 The last 15 or 16 marginals (of both series) have a few low granu- 

 liform prominences on the dorsal and ventral surfaces, these en- 

 croaching upon lateral surface also near the end of ray. Each plate 

 of both series bears on the lateral rounded angle and aboral edge a 

 stout, short, sharp, conical spine, sometimes somewhat curved and 

 with a clear tip. The spinelets supporting marginal web are deli- 

 cate, close together, and in the interbrachial arc are longer than the 

 bare exposed ridge of the plate. Those of inferomarginals are not 

 different from the superomarginal spinelets. The webs nearly meet 

 across the cribriform organs, the spinelets of which can be seen 

 between the edges of the webs. Farther along the ray the webs 

 entirely cover the spinelets beneath. In the interbrachium the ridge 

 between the cribriform organs is narrower than the cribriform or- 

 gans themselves, and also narrower than the depth of the V-shaped 

 groove containing the organ. The cribriform organs extend from 

 the upper end of plate to actinolateral spine, and thence as simple 



