STAEFISHES OF THE PHIUPPINE SEAS. 375 



DiMribution. — Japan, Mindanao, Siilu Archipelago, Billiton, Kei 

 Islands, to 20 fathoms. Also reported by Koehler (1910a, p. 140) 

 from Indian region (" station 148, 15 to 30 fathoms," no locality). 



Specimens exammed. — Two : 



Station 5159, off Tinakta Island, Tawi Tawi Group, Suln Archi- 

 pelago, 10 fathoms, coral sand. 



Station 5251, Gulf of Davao (off Linao Point), Mindanao, 28 fath- 

 oms, coral. 



FROMIA EUSTICHA Fisher. 



Plate 95, fig. 2 ; plate 105, fig. 1 ; plate 106, fig. 1 ; plate 107, figs. 3, 5. 

 Fromia eusticha Fisher, 1913c, p. 213. 



Diagnosis. — Differing from typical F. milleporella in having 

 longer slenderer rays, more regularly arranged abactinal plates, only 

 2 adambulacral furrow spines on distal half of ray, and abundant 

 actinal pedicellariae. R=41 mm., r=8.5 mm., R=4.8 r, breadth of 

 ray at base, 9.5 mm. Rays slender, evenly tapering, abactinally 

 plane; disk slightly convex; marginal plates very regular, mostly 

 longer than wide, regularly decreasing in size, not alternate large and 

 small; abactinal plates, roundish or hexagonal, sometimes with 

 faint indication of lobing, arranged in quincunx in regular longi- 

 tudinal series; actinal plates in 3 regular series at base of ray; 

 adambulacrals with proximally 3 rather narrow furrpw spines, 2 

 distally; 2 subambulacral spines and 1 to 3 subambulacral pedicel- 

 lariae. 



Description. — Abactinal plates in 5 fairly regular longitudinal 

 series at base of ray, becoming reduced to 3 at the middle, the plates 

 of the lateralmost series being there quite small. Three series per- 

 sist to near the tip, the last 2 or 3 superoniarginals being separated 

 by only a single series. While the plates form fairly regular longi- 

 tudinal series, they do not form transverse series as in Nardoa semi- 

 regularise but are arranged in quincunx. Each carinal plate borders 

 on G other plates^ — 2 plates of its own series and 2 of each adradial. 

 Sometimes there is a slight break in the regularity, and a carinal 

 plate is surrounded by 5 or 7 abactinal plates, roundish or hexagonal. 

 Papulae single, at the corners of the plates. The plates are nearly 

 flat on disk and proximal half of ray, but become slightly convex 

 on outer third. Granules of abactinal surface polygonal, close-set^ 

 fairly uniform, not larger in center of plate, about 8 or 10 in the 

 transverse diameter of a carinal plate. Granules surrounding papu- 

 lar pores unequal, some of them a little larger than the granules of 

 plates. 



Superomarginal plates. 18 ; beyond the third, longer than high, but 

 last 4 broader than high, the upper margin rounded and with 1 to 4 

 shallow notches (opposite papulae). Superomarginals encroaching 

 conspicuously upon abactinal surface. Inferomarginals 20, the first 



