124 



BULLETIN 76, UNITED STATE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



forma nana. It seems probable that Verrill included young f. aequalis in his variety 



nana. . 



Both formae cany eggs while still small. I have a specimen of nana with K 

 10 mm. which carries young nearly ready to leave (March 30, 1921). Monterey. 



Type oj Leptasterias aegvalis.—C&t. No. 1372, U.S.N.M. 



Type locality.— Monterey, Calif. (A. S. Taylor). 



Distribution. — San Juan Islands, Wash., and Strait of Fuca to Santa Catalina 

 [aland, Calif. 



Specimens of Leptasterias aequalis examined 



Loo illt; 



Noah Bay, mouth of Strait of Fuca — 



Port Rcnfr. w, British Columbia (Strait of Fuca) 



Friday Harb ir, 3an Fuan Islands, Wash 



Crescent City, I lallf. 



Fort Bragg, Mendocino County, Calif 



San Francisco Bay, Calif 



Monterey Bay, Calif — 



Cayucas, Calif 



Santa Cruz Island, Calif 



Santa Catalina Island, Calif - 



Number 

 of speci- 

 mens 



5 

 7 

 9 

 22 

 2 

 1 

 Many. 

 8 

 1 

 2 



Collection 



U.S.N.M. 



Stanford, J. C. Brown. 

 Stanford, F. W. Weymouth. 

 Stanford, C. L. Hubbs. 

 Stanford, R. P. Hays. 

 U.S.N.M., John Hornung. 

 Stanford, W. K. Fisher. 

 Stanford, Myrtle Johnson. 

 U.S.N.M. H. W. Henshaw. 

 U.S.N.M. 



Remarks. — It is questionable if typical large aequalis reaches the Puget Sound 

 region. The Neah Bay specimens (R 21 to 25 mm.) appear to be a variety of forma 

 aequalis. The specimens from Friday Harbor have the smaller and more granuli- 

 form spinelets of aequalis as well as the peculiarities of the crossed pedicellariae but 

 fewer abactinal spinelets than typical Monterey specimens of the same size (R 21 

 to 35 mm.) This lot of specimens is easily separable from vancouveri, yet any 

 specimen from the San Jaun Islands must be viewed with suspicion and allocated 

 with extreme caution. Something connected with environment plays havoc with 

 specific boundaries. 



It is possible that L. aequalis intergrades with L. hexactis forma plena, and 

 thence through siderea with L. camtschatica dispar forma nitida. 



LEPTASTERIAS ALASKENSIS (Verrill) emended 



Plate 48, Figures 2, 3, 5; Plates 56, 57, Figures 1, 2 



Asterias epichlora var. alaskensis Verrill, Amer. Nat., vol. 43, 1909, p. 549. 

 Leptasterias epichlora Verrill (not Brandt), part, Shallow-water Starfishes, 1914, p. 132. 

 Leptasterias epichlora alaskensis Verrill, Shallow-water Starfishes, 1914, p. 136, pi. 28. 

 fig. 1, 2; pi. 85, fig. 1-ld. 



Diagnosis. — Rays six. Differing from L. camtschatica in the irregular arrange- 

 ment of the abactinal spines, usually in a reticular pattern, without indication of 

 longiserios; in the position of the 3uperomarginals low on side of ray; in the feeble 

 development of actinal plates which form only one series extending to middle of 

 ray. or less; in the presence of large bivalve "stone-hammer" pedicellariae on the 

 lateral and actinal portions of ray. R 55 mm., r 15 mm., R= 3.7 r; breadth of 

 ray tit base, 16 mm. (Unalaska). 



