STAEFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 233 



the marginals, and the granules of the slightly convex crown are 

 similar to those of the radial plates of the disk, although the crown 

 itself is of different form, being oblong or elliptical. In P. cteni'pes 

 and P. ctenipes hypacanthus the radial plates of the ray are abruptly 

 wider than those of adjacent portion of disk, always conspicuously 

 wider than long proximally, fiat, not at all tabulate, and are covered 

 with spaced, small granules, precisely like those of the abactinal 

 plates. The paxillar crowns on disk are subhexagonal to roundish, 

 slightl}^ convex, and in the radial series have 18 to 25 close-set, 

 coarse, irregularly polygonal central granules and 20 or 25 much 

 smaller, slenderer, unequal peripheral ones, usually in the form of 

 tim' spinelets. Near the margin the central granules are reduced 

 to 5, 6, 7, or even to 2 or 3 on plates adjacent to the marginals. 

 The primary basal plate adjacent to the madreporic body is the 

 largest on disk and has 35 or 40 central granules. 



Papulae restricted to oval or subcircular radial areas, not reach- 

 ing the beginning of narrow part of ray. The plates of the radial 

 areas are strongly stellate with 6 pointed lobes which touch those 

 of the neighboring plates. The other abactinal plates are roundish 

 to subhexagonal and rather tightly fitted together. 



Superomarginals 28, massive, well-arched, and tumid on disk, 

 slightl}^ tumid on ray, all wider than long, increasing in width as 

 Avell as in length up to the fourth and fifth, thence decreasing very 

 gradually in width, and even less rapidly in length up to end of ray. 

 In the type the superomarginals from the fifth plate on are separated 

 only by the radial series of abactinals ; in small specimens from the 

 third on. Width of first plate equal to length of first 3 measured on 

 ambitus. The lateral face of plates is low, half or less than half the 

 vridth of dorsal facet, the margin of the ray and disk being evenly 

 rounded, and owing to the slight tumidity of the plate, each is very 

 distinct, the ray appearing constricted at the transverse sutures, or 

 ' cingulate," as if the ray were jointed. This is especially marked 

 in small specimens. Plates covered with closely placed, polygonal, 

 rather coarse granules, about the size of those on center of abactinal 

 plates, the peripheral series being considerably smaller, quite regular, 

 and truncate. On the first plate 7 granules can be counted from 

 one transverse margin to the other, including the peripheral series; 

 these increase to 10, 11, or 12 on the fifth and a few succeeding plates. 

 Terminal plate rather small, obovate, or chordate, granulate. 



Inferomarginals corresponding to superomarginals, the first 2 very 

 wide, equaling the length of first 3.5 plates measured on ambitus; 

 beginning with the third they decrease very rapidly in width until 

 at the seventh or eighth they are only as wide as long, retaining ap- 

 proximately these proportions to the end of the ray. Sometimes the 

 distal plates are slight!}^ longer than wide, especially in small ex- 



