ASTEROIDEA OF NORTH PACIFIC AND ADJACENT WATERS FISHEK. 67 



Remarks. — Four species of Astropeden from Mexico and Central America must 

 be considered in connection with A. californicus. A. fragilis Verrill, Panama 

 to Peru," is a slender ra3'ed form witli a narrow paxillar area on the rays and a 

 small tubercle at upper end of the ])roximal superomarginals (apparently char- 

 acteristic). All the adambulacral spines are slender, the middle furrow spine 

 exceeding width of plate. The enlarged subambulacral spine is still longer, sUghtly 

 tapered, with a slight groove on the upper or outer side near the bluntly ])ointed 

 tip. Adorad is a very slender spinelet in hue, and beliind the two arc two or 

 three capillary spinelets. Infcromarginal spines two, rather broad. 



A. regalis Gray (San Bias and south) is a short-rayed species (R = 3 r) and has 

 one sharp enlarged actinal adambulacral spine, scarcely longer than the longest 

 furrow spine. A. verrilli de Loriol (Mazatlan) is likewise a comparatively shoii- 

 rayed form (R = 3.4 r) and ilitfers from californicus in having small tubercles on 

 the superomarginal plates, forming a single longitudinal series. The infcromarginal 

 and adambulacral armature is also slighth* different. A. rubidus de Loriol (Mexico) 

 is allied to articulatus (Say), having broad superomarginal plates, a smaller disk 

 than californicus, with rays broader at tip, paxillse with shorter spinelets, adambu- 

 lacral plates with much smaller spinelets — three small ones in actinal series. The 

 minor details of infcromarginal armature are different. 



Until an extensive series of Mexican and southern Astropectens is compared 

 by one man it will not be possible to determine the validity of the rather numerous 

 nominal species. It is highly probable that several so-called species are varia- 

 tions of a single form. Neither is it possible at present to determine the limits 

 of Gray's species, for his descriptions are nearly useless. The species called armatus 

 may eventually be divided into several races, as Liitken's orstedii seems to differ 

 in some respects from typical armatus (a specimen in the Yale Museum, no. 817, 

 having been examined). 



Although californicus and ornatissimus seem to be perfectly distinct, they may 

 eventually be found to intergrade with southern species. 



In the Museum of Comparative Zoology (No. 190) are two medium-sized speci- 

 mens of californicus with rather shorter than typical rays and decidedly truncate 

 enlarged subambulacral spine. These are supposed to come from Alaska, but 

 the locality is not correct. As the Albatross in her numerous Alaskan dredgings 

 has never secured the species (or even nortii of central California) I have ni)t 

 considered the record authentic. 



ASTROPECTEN ORNATISSIMUS Fisher. 



PI. 6, figs. 3, 4; pi. 7, fig. 2; pi. 51, figs. 1, la-c. 



Astropeden ornatissimus Fisher, Proc. Wai?h. AcaJ. Sci., vol. 8, Aug. 14, 190(i, p. 119. 



Diagnosis. — Resembling .1. californicus in general features, but differing in 

 having larger paxilliE, longer, slenderer, and more distinctly spaced paxilltc spine- 

 lets; in having the ])axill» sujjcrficially more uniform in size across the ray, not 

 more elongated along midrailial line, and smaller over a large area at center of disk; 

 in having longer, slenderer, and more tapered adambulacral spines; in having 



" A specimen in the Yale Museum No. 1302, Zorritos, Peru, has been examined. 



