STABFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 283 



becoming prominent gradually; adambulacral 2- to 4:-jawod pedi- 

 cellariae; third inferomarginal longer than wide as seen from below. 

 E=7G.5 mm., r=17 mm., I\=4.5 r; breadth of ray at midinter- 

 brachium, 19 mm. 



Description. — Abactinal area, circumscribed by the superomar- 

 ginals, arcuate pentagonal with attenuate sharp corners; abactinal 

 plates slightly elevated even on the interradial areas, but not high 

 enough to be distinctly tabulate. Papular areas comprising 3 or 4 

 rows on either side of the median radials which are slightly wider 

 than long, subhexagonal, and with 3 to 8 central and 12 to 14 slightly 

 smaller depressed granules; other radial plates subcircular and 

 smaller. Primary basal and central plates conspicuously larger 

 than the others and with more granules. A few entrenched pedicel- 

 lariae with 2 slender jaws are scattered over the radial areas. Plates 

 of midradial and 2 parallel series on either side (papular area) pro- 

 vided with 6 short pointed lobes (arcuately hexagonal), by which 

 the distal plates touch, but do not quite touch proximally. The 

 4 or 5 distal plates of the radial and adradial series are slightly 

 wider than long, but the proximal plates are not. The interradial 

 plates are irregularly roundish without lobes, and as seen from with- 

 in they are not in contact. 



Superomarginal plates about 32, conspicuously sloping in the in- 

 terbrachia and basal portion of ray, forming thereto an arched dorsal 

 surface which gradually and at different points on the ray becomes 

 horizontal or plane. Height of lateral face of ray proximally equal- 

 ing width of dorsal face of superomarginal but distally slightly ex- 

 ceeding it. Fourth or fifth plate meeting its fellow medially ; abac- 

 tinal surface of proximal plates up to the sixth or seventh wider than 

 long; the next 2 or 3 are about as wide as long, and thence the width 

 diminishes gradually (in N. meseres, which somewhat resembles this 

 species, the fifth plate is as wide as long or sometimes slightly longer 

 than wide and the plates abruptly become longer than wide, not 

 gradually; also the abactinal surface of ray is plane with abrupt 

 angles). Lateral angle of ray rounded; side of ray straight as 

 viewed from above, the plates not being tumid. Suture between 

 supero- and inferomarginals in a slight depression. Granules cir- 

 cular, depressed, spaced about their own diameter or slightly less. 

 A few small, entrenched, slender 2-jawed pedicellariae arc present. 

 In the interbrachia the superomarginals extend laterally beyond the 

 inferomarginals. Terminal plate small, ovoid. 



Inferomarginals nearly square interradially, but the third is 

 slightly longer than width of actinal face; height of inferomarginals 

 about one-half that of superomarginals and on ray about equal to 

 its actinal width the surface being evenly rounded from the inner to 

 outer edge. Ten plates near middle of ray correspond to 13 or 14 



