STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 407 



Family PORANIIDAE Perrier. 



Poraniidae Perbtek, 1894, pp. 163, 227. — Verrill, 1915, p. 68. 

 Asteropidae (part) Fisher, 1908, p. 90; 1911(Z, p. 247. — Verrill (part) 

 1914a, p. 304. 



The family Aster opidae is restricted to Asterope and Petricia {As- 

 teropsis)^ while the Poraniidae, which appears to be allied to 

 the Asterinidae. includes the old genera DerTnastenas, Porania, Tylas- 

 ter^ Marginastei\ and Poraniomorpha'^ (including Rhegaster and 

 Lasiuster) as well as the more recently defined genera : Ohondraster ^ 

 Verrill, Culcitopsis^ Verrill, Poranisca- Verrill, Poraniella^ Verrill. 



Genus MARGINASTER Perrier. 



Marginaster Perrier, 1881, p. 16. Type, M. pectinatus. 

 MARGINASTER PAUCISPINUS Fisher. 



Plate 131, figs. 2, 2a. 

 Marginaster paucispmus Fisher, 1913c, p. 216. 



Diagnosis. — Differing from M. capreensis (Gasco) [M. ftmhriatus 

 Sladen] in having no actinal intermediate and A^ery few abactinal 

 spinelets, broader marginal plates with slightly longer spines, more 

 distinct lobes to the carinal plates, and 2 narrowly spatulate, webbed, 

 subambulacral spinelets in a longitudinal series near the furrow 

 margin; furrow spines 2 on the first 2 plates, then 1. It=ll mm., 

 r=8 mm., general form arcuate pentagonal ; whole body overlaid by 

 skin; a few carinal, apical, and superomarginal spinelets, all incon- 

 spicuous; a conspicuous marginal fringe of webbed, flattened, nar- 

 rowly spatulate spines ; plates not superficially visible. 



Description. — Abactinal plates obscured by the skin, which is 

 smooth. Spinelets few. There is present a carinal series of short, 

 clavate spinelets, about twice as long as broad, and few in number. 

 Near center of disk these outline a rude star, and within this are a 

 few small scattered almost granuliform spinelets. On either side of 

 the ray there are a very few small spinelets. 



The abactinal skeleton is revealed by immersion in weak caustic 

 potash solution. In the arrangement of plates it is very similar to 

 that of M. capreensis, figured by Ludwig (1897, pi. 7, figs. 13 to 23), 

 but the plates themselves are slightly different in form. The skeleton 



1 Professor Verrill is in error in regarding Rhegaster as the oldest name for this group. 

 Poraniomorpha dates from 1881 (Danielssen and Koren, Nyt. Mag. for Naturvidenska- 

 berne, vol. 26, p. 189; type, P. rosea). Rhegaster Sladen was described in 1883 (Trans. 

 Roy. Soc. Edin., vol. 32, p. 155 : type, Solaster tumidus Stuxberg) . Lasiaster Sladen dates 

 from the Challenger Asteroidea (1889, p. 371, type L. villosus). See Verrill, 1914b, 

 p. 17. 



^ For these genera, see Verrill, 1914b, pp. 17-21, and 1915, pp. 68-80. Chondraster 

 was described originally as a Rub<;enus of Porania (Amer. Journ. Scl.. vol. 49, p. 137, 

 type Porania grandis). The type of Porania, s. s., is P. puvilla (O. F. Miiller). 



