NO. 202 



NEW STARFISHES FROM TEE PHILIPPINES— FISHER. 20 Y 



Oh. suhtuherculatus was taken by the Challenger at station 164, off 

 the coast of Australia, east of Sydney, 950 fathoms, green mud; 

 bottom temperature 36.5° F. 



Genus BENTHOPECTEN. 



Kq/ to the species herein described. 



aK Abactinal plates with a single spinelet, the long spines of disk graduated in length 



into the epinelets of ray moluccanks. 



a-. Abactinal plates with more than 1 spinelet, at least on disk, the comparatively 



few prominent spines of ray not graduated in length into those of disk. 



6'. Abactinal plates of ray with 5, or even more, spinelets; odd interradial 



superomarginal spine not unusually long (equal in length to first 1| to 2 



superomarginals) ; short accessory superomarginal spines; inferomarginal ped- 



cellariffi on outer part of ray polyctenius. 



62. Only 1 or 2 spinelets to each abactinal plate of ray; odd interradial supero- 

 marginal spine very long (equal in length to first 4 or 5 superomarginals); no 

 accessory superomarginal spines; no inferomarginal pedicellarige on outer part 



of ray styradus. 



BENTHOPECTEN MOLUCCANUS, new species. 



Differing from B. liuddlestonii in having only 2 inferomarginal and 

 2 subambulacral spines, and from B. acanthonotus in having a larger 

 adambulacral furrow comb (with 7 to 9 spines), pedicellarise between 

 the distal inferomarginal plates, very few or no accessory abactinal 

 spinelets, a more restricted papular area, and inferomarginal spines 

 which are subequal proximally. R = 80 mm., r=8 mm., R = 10r; 

 breadth of ray at base, about 10 mm. Disk small, rays slender and 

 very flexible. Abactinal plates with a single spine, those of disk 

 graduated in length into spines of rays ; superomarginals with 1 and 

 inferomarginals with 2 spines; subambulacrals 2; furrow spmes 7 to 

 9 ; oral spines variable, 5 to 8 ; suborals, 3 to 5 ; abundant abactinal 

 pedicellarise on disk, and variable on rays; mferomarginal pedicel- 

 larise in interbrachium and on outer part of ray; actinal intermediate 

 pedicellarise often present; 19 or 20 adambulacral plates to first 10 

 inferomarginals. 



Type.— Cat. No. 32629, U.S.N.M. 



Type-locality.— Station 5618, Molucca Passage (lat. 0° 37' N.; 

 long. 127° 15' E.), 417 fathoms, gray mud; 2 specimens. 



In Ludwig's key to the species of Benthopecten,^ B. moluccanus 

 would occupy a position just after B. Jiuddlestonii, with a coordinate 

 subhead readmg: Inferomargmal plates with 2 spmes; adambulacral 

 plates with 7 to 9 furrow and 2 subambulacral spmes; mouth spmes 

 with 5 to 8 oral spines. B. moluccanus differs from B. semisquamatus 

 (Sladen) and B. antarcticus (Sladen) in havmg pedicellaria? and more 

 numerous furrow spines. It differs from B. spinosus Verrill in hav- 

 ing pedicellarise, in having only 2 (and larger) mferomarginal spines, 



1 Notomyota, 1910, p. 465. 



