. I 1 ... 1 1 . 1 \ mi SOUTH PACTJIt \M> AH.Hi I VI W \TM IK 103 



ditpar f. nitiil'i The difference brief)} consists of a alight enlargement <>( 1 1 » « - carina] 

 Bpinelete and a disparity in t h»- size <>f the dorsolateral Bpinelets, whereas in the 

 typical form the abactinal Bpinelets are all fairly uniform. The really problematical 

 specimens arc small h imi-it be remembered that all young Lepta ire pecu- 



liarly difficult Forms which are easily separable in the adult phase may convi 

 in tin' young Btagee bo thai exact differentiation is impossible 



Vv i t. No. E 1 195, l s \ M 



'/';//" locality Adakh [aland, Aleutian Islands, July '-'. 18 



examined Forty-two From the following of the Aleutian Islands 

 Agattu, '.' Bpecimens; Amchitka, 2 specimens; rlysks (Kyska Harbor), 6 specu 



W II Dall 1873) Ailakli, 8 -|><-c mien-; Atkn, 20 speeinieii- ; I'nala-ka. I -pe. n 



\ arii 



/i'< marks. This species, which bo far as known is confined to the Aleutian Islands, 

 reminds one of a small /. aequalit having irregular abactinal plates It is probably 

 an offshool i»f /. eamtschatica, Some uf the smalli'st specimens approach /. eamt- 

 sehatica dispar f. ni&ida. I. alevtica has typically shorter, broader rays and more 

 Dumerous and close-eel dorsolateral Bpinelete, which arc arranged in (.'roups without 

 aeriaJ alignmenl 



The resemblance to aequalit is perhaps due to the relationship which both 

 species bear to eamtschatica. Some variants of /. hexactet mnootiwrt closely resemble 

 /. eamtschatica 



I alevtica can be distinguished from the forms of /. alaskensit l>> the small, 

 compressed, ovate or ovate-lanceolate straight pedieeUariae, numerous abactinal and 

 Buperomarginal Bpinelets, and long se f actinal Bpinelets 



LKPTASTBBIAfl oil u: v nc» i 



! 



ignosis Kays six, rather slnut and rolmst : abactinal Bpinelets Bubcapitate, 

 rally one to a plate and pretty uniformly spaced, and not obviousrj areolated; 

 carina] series not distinguishable from thereat; abactinal papulae one to three, not at 

 all in series; Buperomarginal spines two; inferomarginal and actinal forming each a 

 single series, well separated ; adambulacral spinelets, two, and one and two alternating; 

 ambulacra] furrow narrow: straight pedicellariae small, ovate or elfiptical, obt 

 R 26 mm., r 8.5 mm., R — 3 r; breadth of ray at base 9 mm. 



!>• . 4 ■■■ Abactinal spinelets short, robust, clavate to Bubcapitate, the 

 length being once or twice the breadth at tip, which is grooved and thorn] The 



spinelets arc not verj dissimilar in BU56, are mostly one to a plate, and are spaced 



one-half to two or three times then breadth hut have the appearance of being pretty 

 evenly scattered, without the slightest differentiation of a carina] scries. ,, reticulated 

 pattern of the abactinal Bpinelets only vaguely indicated in the larger Bpecin 



There i- a fairly broad hut variable and not very sharply differentiated supra 



marginal channel Superomargina] spinelets two, sporadically three, Blightly larger 

 than the dor-als, fairly high on the side of ray [ntermargina] channel about 

 broad a- tin- Bupramarginal. [nferomarginal Bpinelets generall) one. occasionally 

 two distally; actinals one. the seriefl extending two-thirds or three-fourths the 

 length of the ray: both are about 60 per cent larger than the ■uparomarginab, BUD- 



