STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 177 



reverse in clenudata). The papular areas are nearly square and not 

 oblong as in denudata. The superomarginals are without external 

 transverse lobes, being fastened directly to the inferomarginals. Be- 

 tween the 2 triple ranges of regular larger paxillae, the plates have 3 

 or 4 usually unequal lobes which overlap a trifle, just touch, or fail to 

 touch by a narrow interval. This causes the dorsal skeleton to be 

 ^'ery flexible. The papulae extend to very nearly the tip of ray, and 

 are compound, consisting, when fully developed, of upward of 30 

 slender coeca, branching from a common base, and reminding one 

 of a coral fungus in miniature. One compound papula occupies an 

 iirv-^a, the latter being irregular in shape on the median region of ray. 



The inferomarginals have the form of those of denudata^ but the 

 ventral apophysis, which meets the intermediate plate, and by means 

 of it is joined to the corresponding adambulacral, is decidedly longer, 

 so that the prominent naked spaces (covered by thin integument) 

 which separate consecutive inferomarginal plates are much wider 

 nian long, and in shape are elliptical, elongate-oval, or oblong with 

 rounded corners. In denudata the shape is that of an equilateral 

 triangle with rounded angles. Ventrally each inferomarginal forms 

 <i low crest, but is produced laterally into a thin ridge, with a 

 rounded outer free surface. This ridge, which separates wide fas- 

 ciolar channels, corresponds to the shaft of one of the abactinal 

 paxillae, while the homologues of the four basffi lobes are readily 

 traced, the ventral apophysis spoken of above being one. Consecu- 

 tive plates are joined by 2 longitudinally directed lobes, while the 

 fourth is very short or wanting where the plate is closely joined to 

 its corresponding superomarginal. The exact form of the plates 

 and the dimensions may best be gathered from the figures. The 

 summit of the lateral crest bears 2 large spines, the outer the longer, 

 and equaling about 3 plates in length. One or 2 shorter and slen- 

 derer spines stand in line with the above on the ventral surface, and 

 dorsal to the large spine are 8 to 12 slender, unequal spinules. 

 Xunierous spaced similar spinules surround the main spines and are 

 continued along the ventral surface. Each plate bears from 1 to 5 

 unequal, rather slender two-jawed pedicellariae, the largest of which 

 frequently stands on the inner extension of the plate, while other 

 small ones are found on either transverse margin of the crest, near 

 the second (lower) lateral spine, or between that and the third. 

 The pedicellariae are lacking in denudata^ which has only 2 infero- 

 marginal spines. 



The actinal intermediate plates are much wider than long, and 

 each is truncate where joined to the inferomarginal, but the inner 

 end which overlaps the adambulacral is rounded and narrower than 

 the outer. Except on the outer third or fourth of ray. nearly all 



