ASTEROIDEA OF NORTH PACIFIC AND ADJACENT WATERS— FISHER 133 



40 fathoms, gray sand and pebbles, has precisely the same appearance as typical 

 chelifera, but lacks the abundant, abactinal, long-clawed, unguiculate straight pedi- 

 cellariae which can be readily seen, without the aid of a glass, on all specimens of 

 chelifera. In nanimensis the abactinal straight pedicellariae are few or absent, and 

 when present have short claws. 



Diagnosis. — Rays five, long, flexible, swollen at base, rather slender, gradually 

 tapering to an attenuate, bluntly pointed extremity. Abactinal surface with numer- 

 ous, uniform, rather small, capitate, terminally fluted, black-tipped, "stone drill" 

 spines, heavily wreathed with crossed pedicellariae; abactinal spines without regular 

 serial arrangement; the carinal series more or less differentiated by greater regularity, 

 though not larger size; wreaths of pedicellariae frequently touching; papulae fairly 

 conspicuous; one superomarginal (sometimes two proximally), two inferomarginal 

 spines, the latter usually gouge-shaped and also sometimes striated or fluted; a very 

 few actinal and intermarginal unguiculate, straight pedicellariae, with the tines 

 shorter than in chelifera; abactinal straight pedicellariae few or absent; crossed pedi- 

 cellariae slenderer and with smaller terminal tip than in chelifera. R 205 mm.; 

 r 25 mm.; R =8r; breadth of ray at base, 26 mm. (station 3464). Type, R 180 mm., 

 r 18 mm. 



Type. — No. 19, Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa Museum. 



Type-locality. — "Departure Bay, Nanaimo, British Columbia, 25 fathoms mud." 

 Verrill. 



Distribution. — Known only from the two specimens here listed. 



Specimens examined. — The type and one from station 3464, Straits of Fuca, 

 Washington, due south of Victoria, B. C; 48° 14' N., 123° 20' 40" W.; 40 fathoms, 

 gray sand, pebbles; bottom temperature, 47.8° F. 



Remarks. — It is unfortunate that Asterias nanimensis, by reason of its page 

 priority, must be given precedence over chelifera to designate the composite species, 

 of which two geographical races are here recognized. What I have called the sub- 

 species chelifera is in fact the more important, boreal, form ranging from Saghalicn 

 to the Gulf of Alaska. The subspecies nanimensis, on the other hand, is a southern 

 offshoot, or differentiation, from chelifera and probably has a comparatively restricted 

 range. It would be much better biology to call the British Columbia race LethasU 

 chelifera nanimensis. 



Since chelifera is really the representative, wide ranging race of the species, a 

 detailed description will be given of that rather than of nanimensis of which I have 

 only one good specimen. The two races are alike in external appearance and in the 

 gross anatomy. They differ in the details mentioned in the diagnosis. The differ- 

 ences in the form of the pedicellariae can be best appreciated from the figures. 



In order to justify the use of the name chelifera for the northern subspecies it 

 must be explained that the type, No. 1346, Museum of Comparative Zoology, is not 

 from Vancouver Island as Verrill states M but is labeled "Alaska." It is in fact of 

 the northern race and as it is known to have been dredged by the Albatross, it is 

 most likely from one of the localities listed below, under chelifera. 



As to the type of nanimensis: Verrill states that it is from Departure Ba> 

 fathoms. The labels now borne by the type do not indicate locality. The dredging 

 operations conducted by the Canadian Biological Laboratory, uml.r the direction 

 of Dr. C. McLean Fraser, have not produced a duplicate specimen from Departure 



" Shallow-water Starfishes, p. 186. 



