ASTEROIDEA OF NORTH PACIFIC AND ADJACENT WATERS — FISHER. 311 



Remarls. — If the specimens listed above are tme endeca, as they seem to he, 

 the known ran<ie is thereby considerably increased. The form described bv Brandt 

 as Asterias endeca, var decemradiaia, and since called Solaster endeca decemradiata 

 probably refers to Solaster stimpsoni, but the name is a nomen nudum and does 

 not invalidate stimpsoni. 



SOLASTER STIMPSONI VerrUl.a 



PI. 82, fig. :{; pi. S:!, figs. 1-5. 



Asterias endeca, var. decemradiata Brandt (?), Prixlromus 1835, p. 71 (nomen nudum), Sitka. 



Solaster dccemradialus Stimpsoni (?), Boston Journ. Nat. Hist., vol. G, 1857, p. 529. 



Solaster Stimpsoni Verrill, in Appendix C. Report of Progress; Geol. Surv. of Canada for 



1878-79, 1880, p. 192 6. (Ramsay Id., British Columbia).— J. V. Wiiiteaves, Trans. Roy. 



Soc. Canada, vol. 4, sec. 4, 1886 (1887), p. 116. (Port Neville, British Columbia, Johnstone 



Strait.)— Verrill, Amer. Nat., vol. 43, 1909, p. 548. 

 Crossaster Vancouverensis de Loriol, Mdm. sex;, phys. hist, nat., Gcn^ve, vol. 32, pt. 2, No. 9, 



1897, p. 12, pi. 1 (16), fig. 5 (Saanich Inlet, Vancouver Island). 

 Solaster endeca decemradiata Clark, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 39, No. 15, 1901, p. 325 



(Puget So\ind). 



Diagnosis. — Apparently most nearly related to 5. endeca but differinfr in havinjj 

 typically a smaller disk, longer rays, larger and less crowded abactinal })axilla; (which, 

 however, have comparatively few spinelets), and smaller inferomarginal ])seudoj)a.\il- 

 Ise, which have fewer spine lets. Rays ten, occasionally nine. R = 82mm.; r = 20mm.; 

 R = 4.1 r. A shorter rayed variety: R = 3.17 r. 



Description. — In a t^-pical form this species, or perhaps only subspecies, occurs 

 from Washington to Kadiak. At Kadiak there is some evidence that stimpsoni 

 and endeca run together, for it is difTicult to assign certain specunens to their proper 

 species. As the two forms range together here they may jiossibly hybridize. 



The photographic figures will reveal the tangible ililTerences nearly as well 

 as a detailed description. The description will be in the nature of a comparison 

 of stimpsoni with endeca. 



Ty])ically the rays are longer and somewhat slenderer than in Pacific endeca. 

 The pseudopaxilla? are perhaps two or three times as large, having coarser and 

 blunter spinelets, sue to twelve to a group on the proximal radial regions. These 

 spinelets are sometimes sheathed to their tips in a continuous web and sometimes 

 radiate apart forming a floriform group of six to ten peripheral and one or two 

 central spinelets. These paxillic are not always relatively more widely spaceil 

 than in endeca, but on account of their smaller number and larger size appear to 

 be. In certain extreme variants — those from the southern part of the range — 

 the paxillse are actually more widely spaced. The most obvious tlitference how- 

 ever is in the size of the paxillse and component spinelets. 



o Verrill (1909a, p. 60, figs. 3 and 4) has described Solaster constellatiu, "an eight-rayed spories 

 with email disk and long, tapered arms." R=3.7r. It resembles .■?. stimpsoni. but the pseudopaxilla> 

 are larger, though with only four or five to eight spinelets. The inforomarginals are small, with eight to 

 twelve spinelets, while the superomarginals are subequal to the abartinals. The adambulacral spines 

 consist of a furrow series, with two or sometimes three rather short, taiM-red spines and an outer ei>mb 

 of six or si'ven nearly equal tapered spines, webbed nearly to the tips; the inner ones are usually rather 

 longer, so that the rows are a little graded. Professor Verrill kitnily stmt me abactinal and aetinal 

 photographic views of this form. In view of the variation in the abactinal paxillic of ."J. stimpsoni, and 

 the great similarity, almost identity in marginal and adambulaor.il armature of stimpsoni and conslel- 

 tatus, the main distinction remaining is the difference in the number of rays. I am stMngly inelined 

 to reg:u-d .*>. constrllalus an eight-rayed variety of stimpsoni. S. parillatris has an eight-rayed form. 



