618 PROCEEDINOS OF THE XATIOXAL MUf^EVM. vol. 43. 



spines, the middle or the 2 lower the longest. At the first third of 

 the ray the longest spine equals 2 or 2^ plates and the comb often is 

 largely abactinal in position, the spines resting on or against the 

 superomarginals. The plates are covered with spaced, rather slender, 

 flattened, appressed spinelets, sometimes squamiform, and the first 

 few plates usually have 1 or 2 fasciculate pedicellariae near the inner 

 edge, and another at the outer end, near the base of the uppermost 

 lateral spine, this upper pedicellaria persisting to the outer part of 

 the ray. 



P. oediplax differs from such species as euryactis, ancTiistus, and 

 luzonicus in having much narrower and more tumid superomarginals, 

 eadh of which bears a subcentral conical spine, not an appressed spine 

 or row, near the distal border of the plate. P. cediplax differs from 

 P. tenuis in having much smaller and more tumid, armed, supero- 

 marginals, and less massive inferomarginals. The side of the ray of 

 tenuis at the base is massive and high — higher than the actinal width 

 of the inferomarginals, while in oediplax the border of ray is low, 

 equal to or less than actinal width of the inferomarginals. The ray 

 is slenderer in tenuis and the paxillar area much narrower, the paxillse 

 larger, the lateral spines more numerous, and the actinal inferomar- 

 ginal spinelets squamiform. P. multicinctus belongs to another type, 

 having massive, transversely tumid superomarginals, narrow paxillar 

 area, large independent abactinal pedicellariae, larger paxUlse, and 

 numerous furrow spines. P. suluensis also has a massive margin to 

 the ray, the superomarginals, especially, being larger than in cediplax 

 and the side wall of ray higher. , The paxillar area in suluensis is 

 narrower, and conspicuous, independent, abactinal pedicellariae are 

 present. Actinally the most conspicuous differences are the wider 

 inferomarginals and longer marginal mouth spines of suluensis, and 

 the slenderer inferomarginal spinelets and conspicuous inferomarginal 

 pedicellariae of cediplax. 



PERSEPHONASTER HABROGENYS, new spedes. 



Resembling P. oediplax but with still slenderer rays, smaller disk, 

 narrower inferomarginal plates, which bear proximally 2 or 3 actinal 

 spinules in addition to the 2 or 3 slender, long, lateral spines; with 

 very small actinal interradial areas, the plates extending less than 

 haK the length of ray; mouth plates small, with 2 series of suboral 

 spines; adambulacral plates spaced, with 5, less often 6, furrow 

 spines. Superomarginal spines proximally 1, distally 2 or 3, the 

 plates markedly convex. No superomarginal, inferomarginal, or 

 subambulacral pedicellariee. R=59 mm., r = ll mm,, R=5.3+r; 

 breadth of ray at base, 11 or 12 mm. Rays slender, evenly tapered, 

 sharp; interbracliial angles abruptly rounded. 



Type.— C&t. No. 30527, U.S.N.M. 



