STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 231 



Adambuiacral plates similar to those of ctenipes, but narrower, 

 those of the disk being about as wide as long, except the first 3 or 4, 

 which are increasingly wider than long as the mouth is approached. 

 On the outer part of ray the plates are longer than broad. Furrow 

 spines 7 or 8, the laterals round tipped with flat side to furrow, the 

 1 or 2 mesial spines with the edge thereto, as in ctenipes. The trans- 

 verse margins of the plate are armed with 5 to 8 subterete spinelets, 

 sometimes slightly compressed near the furrow, interlocking with 

 those of the next plate over the suture. On the ray this number is 

 reduced to 2 or 3 (occasionally upward of 5), and they do not inter- 

 lock. The large specimens have proximally 2, rarely 3, prominent, 

 tapering, sharp spines, about as long or a little longer than the plate, 

 arranged in a transverse series. On the distal half of ray there is 

 but 1 to a plate. Five to 8 or 9 small spinelets, like those of the 

 actinal intermediate plates, are scattered on the surface. Specimens 

 having E. less than 60 mm. usually have but 1 subambulacral spine, 

 though occasionally 2 proximally. 



The mouth plates are substantially as described by Sladen for 

 P. ctenipes, but there is an odd tooth at the inner end of the com- 

 bined mouth plates, which he probably overlooked, as it is not so 

 prominent as in Pseudarchaster. 



iMadreporic bodj^ surrounded by 7 or 8 plates, larger than the adja- 

 cent basal plate, and situated halfway between center of disk and 

 inner edge of superomarginals ; ridges relatively few, irregular, 

 slightly branched, and radiating from center. 



Anatomical notes. — Hepatic coeca short, confined to disk ; stomach 

 with one chamber; intestinal coeca 8 or 9 parted, the lobes short, 

 irregular, sublanceolate in form, with slight marginal lobules. 

 Gonads in a single tuft, on either side of the membranous inter- 

 brachial septa near the margin. Superambulacral plates elliptical, 

 closely superimposed on the actinal intermediate plates and only 

 touching the ambulacral ossicles. They are about half as long as the 

 lower end of the ambulacral plates, are covered with tissue, are 

 invisible unless treated with caustic potash, and do not extend beyond 

 the fourth inferomarginal. 



Type.— C^t. No. 3053G, U.S.N.M. 



Type-locality. — Station 5273, off western Luzon, 27 miles south- 

 west Corregidor Light, 114 fathoms, mud, shells, and coral sand; 

 1 specimen. 



Distribution. — From Lingayen Gulf, west coast Luzon, to Cebu 

 and Bohol, Philippine Islands, 114 to 172 fathoms, on green mud, 

 gray mud, sand and mud, and globigerina. Temperature range, 52.3° 

 to 59°. 



Specimens exaTnined. — Thirty-three, in addition to the type. 



