»* 



10 



1. CdUiaster ChUdrcni (T. 13), Grey. Back sli^'litly con- 

 vex, with a centre, a ring, and five radiating lines of small 

 spines ; rays slender, tapering, as long as the width of the 

 body ; eaeh of the marginal pieces with a central series of 

 three distant spines. Graij, Ann. N. H. ISIO, p. 280. 

 Inhab. Japan. 



XV. AsTKOGONiuM. Body pentangnlar, fiat above and 

 hclow. Back and oral snrfacc protected by triangnlar 

 ossieula, each covered with munerous erect, cylindrical, 

 truncated tubercles or granules, those of the oral surface 

 longest. .Margin strengthened with rcgidar, oblong, four- 

 sided ossieula, covered with small regular granules, ex- 

 cept on the most convex part of their centres ; those of 

 the npper and lower series opposite each other. Dorsal 

 wart single. Ambulacra with cylindrical truncated sjiiues, 

 in gronps of fonr on each ossiculum, of equal size, not form- 

 ing a rounded group, and with a series of similar, rather 

 larger spines on their sides, and a scries of small ossicnla 

 with terminal granules on their outer sides. Bilabiate 

 slits on either surface. Gray, P. Z. S. 1847, p. 78. Astro- 

 gonium, sp., Miill. fif Trosch. Ast. 



A. Body jlut, Jive-sided; granules short; ossieula flat- 

 topped, not tubercled. 



1. Astroffonium r/raiiiddrc (T.l.t'. i). Pentagonal; sides 

 rather concave. Back bright crimson ; oral surface yellow- 

 ish; marginal ossieula oblong, j| on eaeh side, rather con- 

 vex, covered, except at the most convex part of the upper 

 and lower surface, with very minute granules. Dorsal ossi- 

 eula hexagonal. Hat-topped, with short Hat-topped gra- 

 nules; ossieula of oral surface similar, but granules longer. 

 Gray, P. Z. S. 181-7, p. 79. Asterias granularis, Retz. Dis. 

 10 ; Miiller, Zool. Ban. t. 92. f. 1 ; Mull. 6j- Trosch. Ast. 57. 

 Inhub. North Sea (British IMuseum). 



This species is very like Tosia australis, but is at once 

 known from it by the granules covering the greater pai't 

 of the surface of the marginal ossieula. 



2. Astroffonium miliare (T. l.f. 3). Flat, dark red, pcn- 

 tangidar ; rays roimded at the end, about one-third the 

 length of the diameter of the disk. Margin rounded, ossi- 

 eula gj^ or II on each side, covered with uniform, close 

 granules. Dorsal ossieula rather convex, covered with 

 uniform gi'anules. Gray, P. Z. S. 1847, p. 80. Inhab. 

 New Zealand. 



Like A. granulare in form, but the margin is roimd, 

 and the marginal jjlates are more numerous. 



3. Astrogonium inmjuale. Pentagonal ; sides rather con- 

 cave. Arms acute. Dorsal ossieula rather convex, co- 

 vered vrith. small roundish granules. Marginal ossieula 

 § on each side, the two centi'al ones small, narrow; four 

 others large, convex; the two at the tip very small. Gray, 

 P.Z.S. 18 17, p. 79. Inhab. New Guinea? or Amboiua? 

 Capt. Sir E. Belcher. 



B. Back rather convex; the marginal and dorsal ossieula 

 with a small central ronvexity or rounded tubercle ; the 

 granules of the oral surface rather elongate, rounded. 



4. Astrogonium. tui^rculalum (T. 1. f. 2). Body pentan- 



gular ; sides concave ; arms rather produced, acute, taper- 

 ing ; the ossieula of the dorsal surface, of the upper and 

 lower marginal series, each furnished with a small, central, 

 rounded tubercle. ^laiginal ossieida l^oneaeh side; the 

 dor.-ia! tul)ereles on tlu' middle of the back and down the 

 centre of each arm rather larger. Gray, P. Z. S. 1847, 

 p. 79. Inhab. Port Natal. 



C. Body flat ; ossieula of the dorsal, marginal, and oral 

 surface entirety covered with rather elongated uniform 

 granules; marginal ossieula small, erect, rounded 

 above. 



5. Astrogonium paxillosum (T. 1. f. 1). Blaekisli {j)erhaps 

 discoloured). Pentagonal, flat. Arm nearly as long as 

 diameter of disk, rounded at the end. All the ossicnla of 

 the back, edge, and oral surface covered with regular, uni.. 

 form, rather long, erect granides, forming a level surface ; 

 granules of the oral surface longest. The marginal ossi- 

 eula narrow, erect, rounded above. Anibnhicral spines 

 elongate. Gray, P. Z. S. 1847, p. 79. Inhab. Port Es- 

 sington. 



This species, from the length of the granules, passes 

 towards the Astropectines, the elongated tubercles hanng 

 much the appearance of those which are called paxilli in 

 that genus. 



c. Ambulacra ivith three or four series of equal close larger 

 spines near the edge; body depressed, flat ; marginal 

 ossieula large, smooth, two-rowed, with only a single 

 series of granules on each of their edges. Gray, 1. c. 

 1810. Astrogonium, sp., Miill. & Trosch. Ast. "l842. 



XVI. GoNiASTER. Ossicnla Hat; the dorsal ossicnla 

 granulated and armed with deciduous Hat-based spines; 

 both surfaces destitute of anv two-lipped slits. Gray, 

 ^H«. iV. i/. 1810, p. 280. 



In the younger specimens only the middle of the back 

 and the central dorsal lines of the rays are spine-bearing ; 

 but as the animal enlarges the other tesserte on the sides 

 become covered, and at length they are separated, into 

 groups by the grooves extending from the centre to the 

 angles of the margin between the rays. The tubercles 

 easily fall ofl" in the ch-y specimens, leaving a smooth dis- 

 tinct flat scar. 



1. Goniaster cuspidatus. Body pentangular; sides cur- 

 ved ; arms broad, triangular, rather more than half as long 

 as the width of the body. Gray, Ann. N. H. 1840, p. 280. 

 Astrogonium tcssellatum, Miill. 1^ Trosch. Ast. 5(5. Aste- 

 rias tesscllata ? Bluinv. Actinol. t. 23. f. 4. Pentagonaster 

 semilnuatus cuspidatus, Linck, 21, t. 23. f. 37 (perfect), 

 t. 22. f. 39 (imperfect) ; and Seba, iii. t. 6. f. 9 (perfect). 

 Ast. tessellatus, D. and C, Lam. Inhab. . 



2. Goniaster Seba, Gray, Ami. N. II. 18 10, p. 280. Seba, 

 iii. t. 8. f. 2, diHcrs in the sides of the rays being angularly 

 inflexed. 



3. Goniaster regularis. Gray, Ann. N. II. 1840, p. 280; 

 Seba, iii. t. 8. f. 4, eojiicd for Pentagonaster regularis, Linck, 

 20; 1. 13. f. 22. Body with five nearly straight sides. 



