STAEFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 393 



c". Papulae in S longitudinal series; plates with several enlarged tuber- 

 culate granules ; sheath of pedicellariae with crenulate or toothed 

 margin ; papular areas small with three or four pores. 



0. tryclmus Fisher (Samar). 

 W. No pedicellariae ; subanibulacral spines of a plate separated by granules. 



O. ornatus Koehler (Ceylon). 



a^ Abactinal and marginal plates without tubercles or tuberculate granules. 



6\ Excavate pedicellariae, with entire, not crenulate, sheaths; abactinal 



and marginal plates not strongly convex and naked centrally. 



O. pusillus Miiller and Troschel (New Caledonia, Philippine Islands). 



h". No pedicellariae; abactinal and marginal plates tumid or nodose, with 



naked central area 0. iriocriattis Fisher (Hawaii;!u Islands). 



OPHIDIASTER TUBERIFER Sladen. 



Ophidiaster tuberifer Sladen, 1889, p. 404, plate 65, figs. 1 to 4. 



Notes on Philippine specimens. — There are two specimens, one 

 quite small and. the other unusually large. Both differ from typical 

 0. tuberifer.^ but nevertheless seem referable to this species. The 

 smaller example, with R equaling 20 mm., differs in one important 

 respect from the type. In Sladen's specimens the papular areas are 

 large, with 10 to 12 or sometimes more, papulae, but in the Philip- 

 pine example there are only about three papulae to each area. The 

 pedicellariae are a little larger than in Sladen's figure, and many of 

 the adradial plates are provided with a central tubercle. The gran- 

 ules are also somewhat coarser. Whether these differences are racial 

 or fall within the normal age or individual variation of O. tuberifer 

 can not be determined. The presence of six series of papular areas, 

 and numerous pedicellariae with smooth bordered sheaths, together 

 with a triseriate adambulacral armature would suggest 0. pusillus 

 Miiller and Troschel, but so far as known that form does not have 

 central tubercles on any of the abactinal or marginal plates. In the 

 specimen under consideration most of the marginal, carinal, and 

 many of the distal adradial plates (as well as a fcAv of the proximal) 

 have a central tubercle, sometimes two. 



The measurements of the larger specimen (station 5147) are as 

 follows: R=67 mm., r=9 mm., R = 7.4 r; breadth of ray at base, 10 

 mm. The most important difference presented by this specimen is 

 the irregularity of the adambulacral armature which is biseriate ex- 

 cept for a short distance at the base of ray. The armature appears 

 to be demoralized, as there is no regularity. Many plates lack sub- 

 ambulacral spines altogether. When one is present it is usually sep- 

 arated from the furrow spines by 2 rows of granules; when 2 are 

 present, which is relatively seldom, a series of granules separates 

 them, and also the inner from the furrow spines. The outer spine 

 is also smaller than in Sladen's figures. There are usually 2 but some- 

 times 3 furrow spines, the adoral the largest. The carinal series 

 lacks tubercles, as did Koehler's Andaman specimen. The granules. 



