STARFISHES OP THE PHILIPPI2*rE SEAS. 355 



&/ All the abactinal tubercles with a basal circle of granules ; numerous 

 small granules thickly scattered between the tubercles; inferomarginal 

 plates conspicuously smaller than superomarginals, the entire surface oc- 

 cupieil by a conical tubercle ; superomarginals lateral in position, most of 

 the surface bare ; marginal granules of actinal intermediate plates small ; 



six or five furrow spines : tuberculosus Fisher. 



a." Abactinal tubercles obconical to obovate, broader at summit than at base, 

 the surface convex or truncate; R=2 r. 



b.^ Superomarginal plates distinguishable, the terminal only moderately 

 large (S mm. diam.) ; inferomargiuals 9 or 10; abactinal tubercles fewer 

 and very large (6 to 7.5 mm. diam.) ; actinal intermediate tubercles not 

 large, nor spatulate or flattened, near furrows ; furrow spines four ; outer 

 subambulacral spine not flattened nor heavier than the inner. 



truncatus Coleman. 



Ih' Superomarginal plates not distinguishable, the terminal unusually large 

 (13 mm. diam.) ; inferomargiuals about 18; abactinal tubercles, especially 

 the secondaries more numerous, and all smaller (2.5 to 3 mm. diam. for 

 largest) ; actinal intermediate tubercles hirger toward furrow, and spatu- 

 late or flattened ; furrow spines three ; outer subambulacral spine flat- 

 tened and heavier than inner helonotvs Fisher, p. 357. 



ASTERODISCUS ELEGANS Gray. 



Plate 97, fig. 2 ; plate 101, fig. 2. 



Astcrodiscus elcgans Gray, 1847cr, p. 176; 18476, p. 75; 1866, p. 5, pi. 12, 

 figs. 1 and 2. 



Notes on Phili'ppine specimens. — The specimens are referred to this 

 species with considerable hesitation, because there is no adequate de- 

 scription of Gray's types, and his figures do not show the side view 

 of the ray which is desirable when the description is so meagre. The 

 specimens are more stellate than Gray's figure ; nearly as much as the 

 type of A. tuberculosus ; e. g., R=36 mm., r=24 mm., R=1.5 r. There 

 are more numerous abactinal tubercles than are represented in Gray's 

 figure, and these are of a low, blunt, conical form, not truncate. A 

 fairly regular carinal series of 11 is present; and alternating with 

 them on either side is a less regular adradial series, with the be- 

 ginning of a second series near the center of disk. These priniar}^ 

 tubercles are surrounded at the base by a ring of convex granules, 

 but the smaller unequal slightly spaced secondary tubercules which 

 cover the rest of the abactinal surface are almost always without the 

 granules at the base, unless the tubercle is nearly as large as the pri- 

 mary ones. Herein lies a conspicuous difference between this species 

 and A. tuherculosvs Fisher. In the latter all the tubercles are sur- 

 rounded by bead-like granules, and between the tubercles are many 

 minute granules thickly covering the whole test. These are absent 

 in this specimen of elegans. Nearly all the larger tubercles have at 

 the base a pedicellaria with 2 slender curved jaws nearly as long as 

 the. tubercle; these are present also beside many of the smaller 

 tubercles*. 



