SHALLOW-WATER STARFISHES 87 



minor pedicellariae. There are also many small clusters of dermal 

 minor pedicellarias. Papulae small, very numerous, in clusters. 



The dorsal major pedicellariae are numerous, scattered among the 

 spines and especially in the lateral channels. They are short, thick, 

 ovoid, obtuse, with the jaws denticulated at the apex; they often 

 equal the smaller spines in diameter, but are shorter. 



This species can only be confounded with P. capitatus, to which it 

 is evidently closely allied. The latter, however, not only has much 

 larger and more capitate dorsal spines, but they are much fewer in 

 number, there being usually only about five or six spines in a trans- 

 verse series, besides the laterals. 



The supposed absence of large major pedicellariae on the back of 

 P. liitkenii, referred to by Stimpson, does not hold good, as shown 

 by our specimens, above described. 



This species appears to range, in its typical form, from Van- 

 couver Island to Monterey, California, and as a variety farther south 

 to San Diego. 



Oregon (Stimpson) ; Saanich Inlet, Vancouver Island (de 

 Loriol) ; San Diego and Monterey, California (Yale Museum) ; 

 Vancouver Island (Canadian Geological Survey) ; off Pacific Grove, 

 near Monterey, taken on fish lines (Dr. W. R. Coe. Two very large 

 specimens, a, b). 



When full-grown this is one of the largest starfishes on the North- 

 west Coast. It is equalled, in this genus, only by P. achraceus, 

 P. giganteus, and P. papulosiis. 



VARIATIONS. 



One of the very large specimens {b) obtained from off Monterey 

 by Dr. Coe, 1901, differs considerably from the more typical ones in 

 the character of its spinulation, due perhaps, to a superabundance 

 of food. 



Its radii are 55 mm. and 284 mm. ; ratio, about i : 5.2. It is 

 noticeable on account of the great development of its actinal and 

 inferomarginal spines, which are decidedly more numerous and 

 longer than in the other specimen of equal size and from the same 

 place, described above. 



The proximal inferomarginal and most of the actinal plates bear 

 two, three, or even more, stout, often divergent spines, so that one 

 can count eight to ten of these spines in each irregular transverse 

 series. But one ray (doubtless a reproduced one) is only about two- 

 thirds as long as the rest, though nearly as stout ; on this the ventral 



