126 VERRILL 



Madreporic plate single. Diameter of disk, lo mm. ; distance 

 between ends of the two arms, 75 mm. 



Vancouver Island (British Museum). 



This small species, to judge from the brief description, should be 

 closely allied to, or identical witli, L. hcxactis, of earlier date. The 

 description, at least, would apply to that species. The types of the 

 latter, moreover, were from the same region (Puget Sound). No 

 other similar six-rayed species has been found by me in any of the 

 large collections recently received from Vancouver Island. 



It must also resemble some of the more slender six-rayed varieties 

 of L. epichlora, but the latter does not often occur in my Vancouver 

 Island collections, and has much more numerous actinal spines. 



LEPTASTERIAS HEXACTIS (Stimpson). 



Plate XXV, figures 7, 8 (type). 



Asterias hexactis Stimpson, Proc. Boston See. Nat. Hist., viii, p. 272, 1862. 

 Verrill, Trans. Conn. Acad. Sciences, i, p. 326, 1867. Bell, 1881, p. 495. 



This is a small six-rayed starfish, much like L. cequalis, but with 

 the dorsal spinules longer, slender, less numerous, and not so closely 

 clustered. The rays are usually longer and more tapered. 



Dr. Stimpson's description was as follows: 



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

 large. Proportion of the diameters, i : 4. Ambulacral spines, sub- 

 equal, in two regular rows towards the disc, two to each plate; — 

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

 cellariae of both kinds on their outer side at the middle. On the lat- 

 ero-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 ambulacrals, 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 forming 

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

 small and numerous, in little heaps, which, being confluent in a longi- 

 tudinal direction, form three or five (according to the distance from 

 the disc) rows, separated from each other by corresponding rows of 

 papuliferous depressions. These spines in some specimens, however, 

 are fewer, and do not form heaps. On the disc they are arranged 

 after a reticulating pattern. The spines are capitate, and sparsely 

 surrounded by minor pedicellariae. All rise to about the same height, 

 thus giving an evenness to the outline as seen in a side view. The 



