ASTEROIDEA OF NORTIf PACIFIC AND ADJACENT WATERS — FISHER. 

 Specimens of Luidia asthenosoma examined — Continued. 



119 



Bemarks. — This fragile creature bears a close resemblance to L. sarsi Diiben 

 and Keren, of northern Europe and the Mediterranean, and may be looked upon as 

 a north Pacific representative of that species. None of the specimens are as large 

 as L. sarsi is known to grow. The Californian species differs from saisi in having 

 very small, abactinal, two-jawed (rarely three-jawed), granuliform pedicellarifE 

 scattered along the medioradial area, with larger ones sometimes on the regular 

 lateral pa.xilla?, and on upper end of inferomarginal plates. A comi>arison of s]>eci- 

 mens shows that the s])inelets of the abactinal paxilla? are much longer and more 

 delicate in astJtenosoma and the inferomarginal spines are longer. In sarsi the central 

 paxillar spinelet or sjjinelets, in contrast to those of asthenosoma are stouter than the 

 peripheral. The actinal pedicellaria? of sarsi taper slightij' toward the tij), but in 

 asthenosoma they either do not tai)cr or the tip is broader than the base, the jiedicel- 

 laria being obovate. Luidia elegans Perrier from off the east coast of the United 

 States, is closely relateil to sarsi, and differs from aMhenosoma in the structure of 

 the abactinal ])axill£e, which have the central s[)inelets slightly stouter than the 

 ])oripheral, and all the spinelots shorter and more robust (as L. sarsi). The abactinal 

 pedicellariir are fewer than in asthenosoma, while the actinal ])edicollaria> are longer 

 and slenderer than in either sarsi or asthenosoma (twice or three times as long as 

 wide). Moreover, the ])edicellariai taper very decidedly, esj^ecially on the inter- 

 radial areas and proximal portions of ray. 



The rays of L. asthenosoma drop off very readily. 



