STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 449 



Type.— Csii. Xo. 32648, U.S.N.M. 



Type-locality. — Station 6651, "Gulf of Boni, Celebes, 700 fathoms, 

 green mud, bottom temperature 38-7° F-; 1 specimen. 



DistHhution. — Known only from type-locality. 



Remarks. — The only species, besides Crossaster papposus^ to which 

 C. scofopkilus shows close resemblance, are C. penicillatus Sladen, 

 from off Marion Island, 140 fathoms, and C. japonicus (Fisher) from 

 the Sea of Japan. C. japonicus is of the habit of G. papposus., hav- 

 ing large penicillate paxillae, and heavier spines generally than occur 

 in scotophilus. From penicillatus., scotophilus differs in having much 

 more numerous furrow spines (4 or 5 in penicillatus) , more numer- 

 ous marginal paxillae, and smaller and more delicate abactinal pax- 

 illae. 



Genus LOPHASTER Verrill. 



Lophaster Verrill, Amer. Journ. Sci., ser. 3, vol. 16, 1878, p. 214. Type, 

 Solaster furcifer Diiben and Koreu. 



LOPHASTER SULUENSIS. 



Plate 123, fig. 2; plate 124, fig. 3; plate 132, figs. 8, 8fl-. 

 Lophaster stiluensis Fisher, 1913c, p. 219. 



Diagnosis. — Eesembling L. furcilliger Fisher in general form but 

 with much lower paxillae, especially marginal, the pedicels being 

 much shorter than the spines; inner or lower inferomarginal spines 

 consi^icuously longer than upper ; furrow spines 5 or 6, rather long ; 

 subambulacral spines 3 or 4, heavier and longer than furrow spines, 

 and equal to about 2 plates in length. Bays 5 ; R = 82 mm., r = 16 

 mm., R = 5 r : breadth of ray at base, 19 or 20 mm. ; rays slender, 

 gradually tapering, bluntly pointed; abactinal surface arched; ac- 

 tinal surface plane. 



Description. — Abactinal plates strongly 4-lobed, with a low ped- 

 icel, bearing 7 to 10 tapering, thorny, pointed spines, the median 

 slightly longer than the peripheral. The spines vary from 1 to 2 

 mm. in length, while the pedicel is ordinarily about one-half the 

 length of the spines, slightly wider than high on the rays and slightly 

 higher than wide on central portion of disk. Papular areas of apical 

 region with 5 to 7 papulae; those of proximal part of ray with 3 

 or 4 papulae; those of distal portion of ray with 1 or 2. Counting 

 across the base of ray there are about 18 longitudinal series of plates, 

 rather irregular in the median radial region. 



Marginal paxillae comparatively small, the superomarginal de- 

 cidedly smaller than the inferomarginal and usually alternating 

 with them. The inferomarginal paxillae have low pedicels, about 

 as high as broad, surmounted by about 1.5 to 18 spines of which 3 or 

 4 on the side toward furrow are about 2.5 mm. long, while the others 



