STAEFISHES OP THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 411 



ASTERINA CEPHEUS (Muller and Troschel). 



Plate 115, fig. 4. 



Asterina burtonii? Gray, 1840, p. 289. 

 Asteriscus cepJievs Muller and Troschel, 1842, p. 41. 



Asterina cepheus von Martens, 1866, p. 85. — De Loriol, 1885, p. 69, pi. 21, 

 figs. 1 to 5. 



Notes on Philippine specimens. — The largest specimen has the fol- 

 lowing dimensions: K=:20 mm., r=:8 mm., R=:2.5 r. The spinelets 

 are all rather longer than in de Loriol's figure. 



Type-locality. — Batavia. 



Distribution. — Ked Sea, Indian Ocean (Zanzibar in the south, 

 Nicobar Islands, Ceylon, Mergui at the north), Java, Philippines, 

 Torres Strait, Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia. 



Specimens examined. — Five : 



Tataan Pass, Simulac Island, coral reef; 2 specimens. Maricaban 

 Island, off Batangas Bay, Luzon, shore ; 3 specimens. 



Remarks. — The type of Asterina hurtonii has been lost, according 

 to Professor Bell.^ Although the name probably refers to this 

 species, in the absence of an authentic specimen Gray's description is 

 quite insufficient. It seems better to retain the well-known name so 

 long as a reasonable doubt exists as to the identity of hurtonii. 



ASTERINA CORONATA CRISTATA Fisher. 



Plate 115, fig. 3 ; plate 131, figs. 4 4a. 



Asterina cristata Fisher, 19166, p. 27. 

 Asterina coronata cristata Fisher, 1918, p. 111. 



Diagnosis. — Related to A. cepheus, but with a variable number 

 (30-55 to a ray) of the abactinal plates elevated and tubercular in 

 form, and surmounted by 1 to 5 unequal, robust, pointed spines, the 

 largest 4 or 5 times as long as the spinelets of the other plates, and 

 many times greater in diameter ; the other abactinal plates with 5 to 

 10 short, sharp spinelets in spaced groups situated usually on the 

 adcentral border; these spinelets are tapering, slender, 3 or 4 times 

 as long as the width of their base, and in each group are placed with 

 the bases touching, the spinelets themselves radiating apart. In cen- 

 ter of disk a poorly defined pentagon of elevated plates. At base of 

 ray are 6 regular series of papulae on either side of a radial area of 

 irregularly arranged pores, the two areas corresponding to regions 

 of regularly and irregularly arranged plates. The plates of the 

 regular lateral series (of which there are 10 at the base of ray) are 

 arranged in quincunx and those of the papular areas are hollowed 

 out or excavated on the mesial border for the papula which is over- 



iBell, 1884, p. 131; Perrier, 1875, p. 316 (unable to find type). 



