SHALLOW-WATER STARFISHES 89 



The dorsal spines are much less numerous than in the typical 

 variety; they are evenly scattered, and scarcely form any distinct 

 radial rows. About thirteen to fifteen spines occur in irregular 

 transverse series, besides the upper marginals, but they do not form 

 any definite transverse rows. 



The upper marginals are much like the dorsals, but larger. They 

 mostly stand singly on the large plates, so that they are well apart. 



Between the upper and lower marginals there is a rather wide, 

 naked channel, bearing large pedicellariae; at the base of the rays it 

 expands into a rather large, triangular, interradial area, destitute 

 of spines. 



Minor pedicellariae, in very large dense wreaths, surround the 

 upper marginal and dorsal spines, the clusters becoming so large 

 distally that they are in contact. In dry specimens they seem to be 

 attached outside the swollen base of the spines, which is covered by 

 a thick skin, but in life they probably rise up at least to mid-height 

 of the spine. On the ventral spines they form large clusters on the 

 outer surface. 



Ver>- large, ovoid, or blunt stone-hammer-shaped, erect, sessile, 

 major pedicellarise, with strongly serrate jaws, occur in considerable 

 numbers on the lateral channels, between the dorsal spines, and 

 among the ventral spines. Other major pedicellariae, some of them 

 nearly as large, but others much smaller, somewhat compressed, 

 mostly ovate and obtuse, occur on the adambulacral spines and on 

 the inner edge of the ambulacral grooves. Many of these have large 

 numbers of small, acute, forficulate pedicellariae on their pedicels. 



San Diego, California (Dr. Edw. Palmer, Yale Museum). 



PISASTER GIGANTEUS (Stimpson) Verrill. 



Plate XXXVII, figures i, 2 (type). 



Asterias gigantea Stimpson, Jour. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vi, p. 88, pi. xxiii, 

 figs. 4-6, 1857. Verrill, Trans. Conn. Acad., i, p. 327, 1867. ? Bell (pars), 

 Proc. Z06I. Soc. London, 1881, p. 564; = in part A. katherinig Per., non 

 Gray. 



Dr. Stimpson's incomplete original description is as follows: 

 " Body very large, swollen ; rays six in number, in length some- 

 what less than twice the diameter of the disk. Upper surface cov- 

 ered with numerous short, blunt, equidistant spines, uniform in size 

 and regularly distributed ; these spines are somewhat conical in 

 shape, but truncated at the tip and constricted at the base, with the 

 sides longitudinally furrowed. The spines of the lower surface 



