STARFISHES OF THE PHILIPPINE SEAS. 461 



pseudopaxilla, the longest about 3 times the length of the pedicel. 

 The long sj)inelets, which push up the supradorsal membrane and 

 form protuberances, are in groups of 4 (sometimes 2 or 3, and in a 

 few cases, near the osculum, 5). Each spinelet of a group belongs 

 to a different pseudopaxilla, so that ordinarily 4 pseudopaxillae con- 

 tribute a spine to each protuberance, the center of the rhomboidal 

 spiracular areas (marked by the center of the cross mentioned by 

 Sladen) being directly above a pedicel. The pedicel which springs 

 from a strongly cruciform base is 2 mm, high, and an average spine- 

 let 6.5 or 7 mm. long. In the radial region of the disk each of the 4 

 triangular areas, into which the rhomboidal spiracular areas are sub- 

 divided, contains 18 to 30 pores which in the alcoholic specimen have 

 very dark brown rims. The actinolateral spines and their web form 

 a vertical palisade about 8 mm. high near the mouth plates. The 

 first few adambulacral plates have 6 spines to each comb, the rest 5. 

 The mouth plates have 8 or 9 marginal spines, webbed to the tip, 

 and the innermost is commonly slightlj' shorter than the second and 

 is usually connected, not with its fellow of the adjacent plate, but 

 with the suboral spine of its own plate, the web extending halfway 

 to tip of latter. This suboral spine stands back of the 2 inner mar- 

 ginal spines and is 7 mm. long. In Sladen's type of R. insignis the 

 suboral spine is not connected with the marginal. The first adambu- 

 lacral combs of adjacent rays (commonly with 7 spines) are webbed 

 together over the outer end of the prominent mouth plates. 



I have examined a specimen of R. cribrosus (M. C. Z. No. 963), 

 a species with which insignis has been lately merged. It seems to me 

 that the two are perfectly distinct. In true cribrosus the cross men- 

 tioned by Sladen as characterizing the spiracular areas is absent and 

 the much fewer pores (about 35) are pretty evenly distributed — not 

 segregated into triangular subareas. At the nodal points of the 

 meshes of the supradorsal membrane 2 spines project, sometimes 1 

 or 3. There are only 3 furrow spines ; 1 (not 3) stands on the furrow 

 margin, while the other 2 form a transverse series with the actino- 

 lateral spine. 



Type. — In British Museum. 



Type-locality. — Arafura Sea, 25 fathoms. 



Distribution. — Philippine Islands ; Amboina; Banda Sea; Arafura 

 Sea ; Torres Straits ; Thursday Island ; Port Jackson and Port Molle, 

 Australia; Samoa, 



Specimens examined. — Four, from the following stations : 



Station 5144, viciiwty of Jolo, 19 fathoms, coral sand ; 1 specimen. 



Station 5252, Gulf of Davao, Mindanao, 1.5 miles southwest Linao 

 Point, 28 fathoms, coral ; 1 specimen. 



Station 5253, same locality, depth, and bottom; 1 specimen. 



Station 5356, North Balabac Strait, Palawan, 58 fathoms, sand, 

 shells; 1 specimen. 



