STARFISHES OF THE FHIOPPINE SEAS. 



183 



has the abactinal spines on the disk and along the median portion 

 of the ray (as stated by Sladen), while in hispidus the spines are all 

 over the abactinal surface. The first has pedicellariae on the inter- 

 radial areas only, while in the second they may occur on the mar- 

 ginal and abactinal plates. Both have 5 to 7 furrow spines and 

 15 adambulacrals corresponding to the first 10 inferomarginals. 

 Wood-Mason and Alcock state, however, that the abactinal spines 

 occur numerously on the disk and along the central axis of ray. 

 They record intermarginal pedicellariae. These occur, in variable 

 numbers, in the Albatross specimens from stations 5606, 5608, 5609, 

 5668, but not in those from stations 5630, 5660, and in 2 examples 

 from 5608. 



In the Albatross specimens the abactinal spines are absent or else 

 very few and widely scattered on the lateral portions of the paxillar 

 area of ray, but apparently a little more widely distributed than 

 in Sladen 's type, and apparently a little less than in Ludwig's con- 

 ception of hispidus. However, in some specimens their distribution 

 just about coincides with that in Alcock's figure of hispidus (1894,. 

 Echinoderms, pi. 2, fig. 5a) . This character is slightly variable. 



I have not used the name hispidus for these specimens, although 

 the abundance of pedicellariae in some of the examples would seem 

 to indicate their close alliance if not identity with that form, be- 

 cause the occurrence of pedicellariae is subject to great variation 

 and also because Wood-Mason and Alcock state that the marginal 

 plates are closely covered with capillary spinelets. In the Albatross 

 specimens the spinelets are more spaced, as described for mimicus. 

 Likewise the Albatross specimens are from nearer the type-locality 

 of mimiciis. I fully agree with Koehler that the diiferences, so far 

 as known, between hispidus and mimicus are rather subtle. 



The following table indicates some of the variations in the speci- 

 mens examined: 



' Young. 



