NO. 1/99 NOMENCLATURE OF STARFISHES FISHER 95 



cacfis, Triscccdccactis. Nc efforts are being' made to replace Solas- 

 tcr Forbes by Octactis Schulze, yet the identification by means of 

 Linck, table XIV, n. 25 (the source of Schulze's name) is certain. 

 Similarly if Pciitaccros is valid, so is Decactis for Crossastcr ; or if 

 there is any doubt about Decactis, none can be urged against Tris- 

 cccdccactis! In some cases Linck's plates are singularly good. 



Schroter, in 1782 (Musei Gottwaldiani Testaceorum, Stellarum 

 marinum, etc., Nitrnberg, 58), used Pciitaccros, but he is not a con- 

 sistent binomialist, and his "generic" names are not tenable. 



Pcntaceros Schulze should be changed to Or caster Miiller and 

 Troschel, 1842. Pciitaccros, for starfishes, was given binomial 

 standing by Gray in 1840, but Cuvier and Valenciennes adopted the 

 name for fishes in 1828. The family becomes the Oreastcridcc. The 

 type of Orcastcr is Astcrias reticulata Linn.' (=0. rcticulaius M. 

 and T.). 



Fortunately Astropcctcii was given binomial standing" by Gray in 

 1840, and its signification does not change. SteUaria Xardo, 1834, 

 another name for the same group, is invalidated by SteUaria ]\Ioeller, 

 1832. for a mollusk. Gray's Astropectcn includes Ctenodiscns, Astro- 

 pecten, and Chcctaster. Chcctaster was described a few months pre- 

 viously by Miiller and Troschel, and Cteiiodiscus was eliminated in 

 1842. No type was designated by Gray; as it is desirable to have 

 one, A. aiiraiitiaciis (Linn.) may be so considered. 



Peiitagonastcr Schulze is superceded by Goiiiaster Agassiz (type,^ 

 Astcrias tessellata Lamarck). The name Peiitagonastcr was given 

 validity by Gray. 1840. for a small and different group of which 

 P. pulchellus is type. Ayres' Stephaiiaster, adopted by Perrier. is 

 long antedated by this name, while Phancraster Perrier is similarly 

 invalidated bv Goiiiaster. 



^ Indicated by Agassiz. ]Mem. Soc. Sc. Neuchatel, t. i, 1835, 145. 



