STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 339 



shaped, abactinal pedicellariae ; siiperomargiiial plates smooth, the 

 membrane covering fine, spaced granules, and on the proximal plates 

 a few scattered coarse central granules; superomargiaals of middle 

 region of ray in large specimens longer than wide; actinal inter- 

 radial areas variable, usually fairly smooth, the plates with central, 

 enlarged, hemispherical granules, as in granulosus; the plates adja- 

 cent to adambulacrals with a variable number of forcipiform or 

 spatulate, lower, pedicellariae ; furrow spines compressed, usually 7 or 

 5 proximally, varying to 6 to 9, the armature in general similar to 

 that of A. granulosus; oral spines, 14 or 15. 



DescAption. — Abactinal membrane fairly thick, about as in epixan- 

 thus and granulosus, and marked by myriads of fine interlacing 

 wrinlvles, partly due to the underlying granules. In some specimens 

 the membrane has a minutely warty appearance. Even when dried 

 the outlines of the plates are difficult to make out, although their 

 contours are somewhat indicated by the papular pores. The ab- 

 actinal area is covered uniformly with tiny spaced spiniform granules 

 which are often a little higher than wide. One is reminded more 

 of very short spinelets than of the rounded, hemispherical granules 

 of A. granulosus. They are subequal, about the size of the inter- 

 mediate granules of granulosus, and are more closely placed, there 

 being 45 or 50 on an average carinal plate. They are larger than 

 the granules of lithosorus and, unlike them, they do not become widely 

 spaced toward the edge of the area. Scattered over the abactinal 

 area are numerous small 2- jawed pedicellariae, higher than in granu' 

 losus. In the type they have 2 slender, slightly spatulate jaws, very 

 similar to the abactinal pedicellariae of cristatus, as figured by Sla- 

 den, while in other specimens (as from station 5122) the jaws are 

 truncate and onl}' 1.5 to 2 times as high as broad, and hence having 

 somewhat the same variations as in cristatv^. Still other examples 

 have the jaws spatulate and intermediate between the slender forceps 

 and the lower bivalve forms. These pedicellariae are not covered by 

 the membrane. Papulae are found all over the disk except a narrow 

 interradial streak, and are absent from a small portion of the end 

 of the TQ.y. 



The relation between the primary and secondary abactinal plates 

 is as in ^. granulosus. On the proximal portion of the radial areas 

 the small, irregular plates surround the carinal plates, and the plates 

 of one or more longitudinal series on either side. They gradually 

 become restricted to either side of the carinal series near the middle 

 of E. Beyond about the middle of E, there are no secondary plates. 

 The primary plates usually have 6 short lobes or far along ray, are 

 roundish without very evident lobes. On the central part of the 

 disk the lobing is irregular, and near the margin the j)lates are 

 irregularly 4-lobed or 4-sided. 



