STARFISHES OP THE PHIUPPINE SEAS. 387 



may be 2 or 3 such granules larger than the others. Some of 

 the distal abactinal plates are so armed. A single series of small 

 actinal intermediate plates extends about a third the length of ray; 

 for the remainder of the ray the large inferomarginal plates are in 

 contact with the adambulacrals. There is a series of intermarginal 

 papular areas but no papulae between the inferomarginal plates 

 and the furrow. In the type there is a series of a few intermarginal 

 plates at the base of each ray. 



Adambulacral armature: Three or 4 furrow spines, blunt and 

 usually irregularly 4-sided in section; back of these is a series of 

 about 3 slightly thicker and much shorter, usually quadrate, 

 truncate, or round-tipped granules; then a definite series of 3 or 

 4 decidedly smaller granules, intermediate in size between the 

 first series and the actinal granulation. The outer edge of plate is 

 filled in with 1 or 2 irregular or angular series of granules identical 

 with those of actinal intermediate and inferomarginal plates. 



Madreporic body small, circular, about midway between the mid- 

 dle of the elevated disk and the lower edge of the superomarginal 

 plates. 



Type.— C^it. No. 37028, U.S.N.M. 



Type-locality. — Station 5160, off Tinakta Island, Tawi Tawi 

 Group, Sulu Archipelago, 12 fathoms, sand; surface temperature 82° 

 F. ; 1 specimen. 



Distribution. — Known only from Tawi Tawi and Jolo, Sulu 

 Archipelago, 12 to 34 fathoms. 



Specimens examined. — Two, the type and 1 from station 55.55, off 

 Cabalian Point, Jolo Island, 34 fathoms, coarse sand. 



Remarks. — There is a very slight possibility that this form may be 

 the adult of Nardoa ohtusa Perrier (1875, p. 169). I examined Per- 

 rier's type, in the British Museum. Perrier does not give measure- 

 ments nor does he indicate that the specimen is small. The meas- 

 urements are: 11=35 mm., r=8 mm. The abactinal plates are nearly 

 hemispherical and more prominent toward the end of ray than at 

 the base. The adambulacral armature is: Furrow spinelets 4, then 

 2 series of 3 granules each. I Avas able to compare this specimen 

 with young variolata., from which it differs in having 7 plates across 

 the base of ray (5 in variolata) .^ the plates circular in form, and the 

 secondaries larger than in variolata. The type of ohtusa is from 

 Siquijor, Philippines. 



The type of ohtusa has relatively blunter rays than the smaller 

 specimen of tumulosa (R=63 mm.), and the tubercles are less 

 prominent on the disk and the base of the rays. Just what ohtusa 

 would look like, if adult, is rather difficult to conjecture. A detailed 

 comparison of the type with that of tumulosa is therefore omitted^ 

 because the specimens are not really comparable. 



