I02 VERRILL 



The forficulate or major pedicellariae are usually lanceolate or 

 ovate, and more or less compressed ; they may be scattered between 

 the dorsal spines, around the papular areas, but are more constantly 

 present on the ventral interbrachial areas, and on the naked channel 

 or lane between the upper and lower marginal spines ; they frequently 

 occur on the adambulacral and interactinal spines, where they 

 are usually of smaller size, and also within the edge of the ambu- 

 lacral groove, attached to the adambulacral plates, when they 

 usually have longer pedicels. They generally have characteristic 

 forms in each species. In some large specimens they may be almost 

 lacking, though abundant in others of the same species. In very 

 young specimens they are usually few or lacking. 



The genital ducts, in all those species dissected, are connected with 

 a pair of small genital pores on the dorsal side, in the interbrachial 

 areas. 



The ambulacral feet and pores are generally in four rows, but 

 may be so crowded as to form six apparent rows, near the base of the 

 rays. These forms all have great powers of restoration and repair 

 after injury, being able to replace large portions or all of the disk 

 as well as part or all of the rays, but spontaneous fission has not 

 been observed in any of the typical species, all of which, so far as 

 studied, develop from a free-swimming brachiolarian larva, in con- 

 trast with the species of the genus Leptasterias, which have no free- 

 swimming stcige, for their eggs and larvas are attached in clusters to 

 the oral region, till capable of creeping. They have ventral genital 

 pores. 



ASTERIAS VICTORIANA Verrill. 



Plate uii, figure i (dorsal) ; plate uv, figures i, 2 (actinal and lateral) ; plate 



Lxix, figure 4; plate lxxxii, figures i-ic (details). 

 Asterias victoriana Verrill, Atner. Journ. Sci., xxviii, p. 68, 1909. 



Rays five, stout, rather rapidly tapered. Radii, 20 mm. and 

 95 mm. ; ratio, i : 4.75. 



Dorsal skeleton conspicuously reticulated, leaving large papular 

 areas, which are mostly rounded or somewhat elliptical, the trans- 

 verse diameter the greater. The intervening ossicles are strong and 

 prominent above the surface, as narrow convex ridges ; those at the 

 intersections and in the radial rows larger and deeply four- to six- 

 lobed, convex in the middle, with a central mammilla and pit where 

 the spine is attached. 



The ossicles of the two marginal rows and next two actinals are 

 thick, nearly equal in size and form, and proximally stand in four 



