STAEFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 311 



Descn^ipti&n. — Abactinal plates perfectly flat, very close-set, hex- 

 agonal to roundish-hexagonal, similar to those of A. callimorphus 

 but smaller and slightly more numerous. Marginal granules small, 

 with rounded or truncate distal margin, as wide as long, or longer 

 than wide, and 30 to 35 around the larger plates. Surface of plates 

 with numerous, spaced hyaline bosses or convexities considerably 

 smaller than the marginal granules. Papulae all over abactinal sur- 

 face, except a very small interradial triangle. 



Abactinal plates from the coelomic side, flat (not convex as in 

 Lithosoma) those of the papular area having 6 lobes, which touch 

 those of neighboring plates, the lateral lobes being narrower than the 

 proximal and distal, these being sometimes suppressed, or represented 

 by only a convexity on the edge. 



Marginal plates massive, both series with a right angle marking 

 the margin of ray, the lateral face of ray being vertical. Supero- 

 marginals 19 or 20, increasing in size up to the third or fourth,, 

 which meet medially; thence the plates decrease in breadth rather 

 more rapidly than in length. First plate dorsally about as wide 

 as long, but the next 2 are increasingly wider than long. There is 

 some variation in the length of the plates; usually the sixth is- 

 longer than wide, the length decreasing over the width gradually 

 on the succeeding plates. Interradially and near the end of ray the- 

 lateral face is nearly as high as width of dorsal face; elsewhere a 

 little less to a little more than half the width. Plates are smooth,, 

 except for 8 to 12 depressed, subglobose, deciduous granules scat- 

 tered on the margin of ray on slight, uneven elevations of the plate. 

 In the interbrachia these scattered granules encroach upon the dorsal 

 surface, and on outer third of ray are lacking. A few of the proxi- 

 mal plates have an entrenched sugar-tongs pedicellaria with denticu- 

 late spatulate jaws. Margin of plates with a regular moniliform 

 series of small pearl-shaped granules, much smaller than those on- 

 the surface of plate; these are lacking on the last half dozen platesv 

 Terminal plate large, tubercular, subtruncate, longer than wide, with 

 2 granuliform tubercles at the tip. 



Inferomarginals narrower than superomarginals, and decreasing 

 regularly in size from the first. Proximally they correspond to the 

 superomarginals; at middle of ray the}^ nearly alternate, and at the 

 tip correspond again. The surface of plates (except last 7 or 8) 

 is irregularly tumid and uneven, with proximally 25 or 30 scattered 

 deciduous granules, decreasing in number distad, and becoming 

 more and more confined to the lateral margin of the raj- . The plates 

 are surrounded by a moniliform series of granules similar to those 

 of the superomarginals, and on the ventral surface of the first 2: 

 plates there is an entrenched sugar-tongs pedicellaria. 



