272 



thickly covered with minor pedicellarije near the tips. Ventral 

 spines standing in two or three irregular roM^s. Lateral channel not 

 well marked, and sometimes occupied by very small spines. Lateral 

 spines standing singly in one row, and more pointed than the ven- 

 trals. Dorsal spines more numerous and crowded than in A.polaris, 

 and of greater diversity in size, the larger ones being collected in 

 heaps wliich form three regular longitudinal rows on the rays. These 

 large spines are capitate, with obtusely conical and striated heads ; 

 there are usually about six spines in each heap, the central one being 

 much the largest and overtopping the others, which form a circle 

 around it. The small spines between the heaps are quite uniform in 

 sizC; and have globular tips. Disc surrounded by a ring of six heaps 

 of spines, within which there is sometimes another ring of the same 

 number, and always a heap in the middle. Madreporic plate sur- 

 rounded with a circular canal and a ring of thirteen sj^ines. All the 

 spines, both ventrals and dorsals, are surrounded by minor pedicel- 

 larise, as in A. polarity. The major pedicellari^e, which are most 

 numerous on the sides of the rays, are scattered, and very irregular 

 in size, varying from one two-hundredth to one-twentieth of an inch 

 in length ; — the largest ones are stout, as long as broad, conicafTor 

 almost globular, having valves with broad, dentated extremities. 

 Papulas numerous, scattered, and often forming groups. 



Color in life : above, clouded with very dark brown ; madreporic 

 plate cream-colored. Sides of rays, and inferior surface, of a yellow- 

 ish cream-color. 



Diameter, five and a half inches. Habitat, Behring's Straits, on 

 clean gravelly bottoms, in from five to fifteen fathoms. U. S. North 

 Pacific Expedition. Wm. Stimpson. 



ASTERIAS HEXACTIS (nOV. Sp.) 



Rays six, depressed or rounded, and more or less tapering. Disc 

 large. Proportion of the diameters, 1 : 4. Ambulacral spines, 

 subequal, in two regular rows toward the disc, two to each plate ; — 

 form cylindrical, obtuse, sometimes a little clavate, with a few pedi- 

 cellaria? of both kinds on their outer side at the middle. On the 

 latero-inferior side of the ray there are four longitudinal rows of 

 spines, separated from the dorsal spines by a more or less well 

 marked channel. These spines are scarce thicker than the ambu- 

 lacrals, but are longer, and have small clusters of minor pedicellariae 

 at their outer bases. In some specimens the lateral spines are distinct 

 from the ventrals, being separated from them by a channel, and form- 

 ing a crowded row of confluent clusters like the dorsals. Dorsal 

 spines small and numerous, in little heaps, which, being confluent in a 

 longitudinal direction, form three or five (according to the distance 



