STARFISHES OP THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 299 



Description. — Abactinal area stellato-pentagonal. Abactinal plates 

 hexagonal, in regular radial and parallel series, smooth except for 

 scattered minute irregular elevations (not granules) and bordered 

 by a single complete series of flat immersed granules, squarish or 

 oblong in shape. The plates are very slightly elevated, are very 

 regular in disposition, and are crowded, those of the center of disk 

 being slightly the largest. If somewhat higher they would be called 

 tabulate. No secondary, smaller, intermediate plates. The papulae, 

 6 about a plate, are practically all over the abactinal area. Many of 

 the plates have 1 or 2 tiny entrenched pedicellariae with 2 or 3 

 slender jaws scarcely longer than the width of a marginal granule. 



Abactinal plates as seen from the inner or coelomic side with 6 

 regular short lobes, the interval between being arcuate, and the plates 

 nearly or quite touching by means of the lobes. The ventral surface 

 of the plate is raised into a truncate eminence with sloping sides. 

 Viewed from this side, the plates appear to be of a low conical form 

 with the apex removed at different distances from the top. 



Marginal plates blocklike massive, the superomarginals, 40 in 

 number, in contact along median line beyond the seventh to ninth, 

 and encroaching conspicuously upon dorsal surface, being wider than 

 high. The first plate is abactinally wider than the following 4, the 

 next 3 plates gradually increasing in width and the following grad- 

 ually decreasing toward the end of ray, as best shown in the figure. 

 Surface of plate smooth, porcelainlike, and the abactinal surface of 

 ray is nearly plane, or a trifle sunken along median line owing to a 

 slight convexity of the plates. Marginal granules small, immersed 

 in a membrane which nearly or quite obscures their outlines. A 

 variable number, usually 1 to 5, tiny 2- or 3-jawed pedicellariae 

 occur along the transverse margins and also along the lateral mar- 

 gin on the side of ray. The base of each jaw is half or more than 

 half as wide as the length and constricts to a narrow spatulate ex- 

 tremity. The cotype is much more liberally provided with them 

 than the type. Terminal plate much wider than long. 



Inferomarginals correspond to superomarginals proximally; dis- 

 tally they alternate. The plates decrease regularly in size, although 

 very gradually on ray, Avhere the lateral face, as seen directly from 

 the side is about as wide as the ventral facet viewed directly from 

 below. The ventrolateral margin of ray is slightly swollen and 

 evenly rounded. Marginal granules and pedicellariae as on supero- 

 marginals. Ten inferomarginals at middle of ray correspond to 

 16 adambulacrals. 



Actinal intermediate plates flat and very smooth, in about G irreg- 

 ular chevrons, irregular in size and shape, those next to furrow largest 

 and usually four-sided, the others less regular, four- or five-sided. 

 The series next to the adambulacrals extends slightly bpyond the 



