320 V ERR ILL 



The dorsal paxillas are small, even, and much crowded, with 

 regularly stellate, small, short, clavate spinules, of which there may 

 be ten to fourteen marginal and five to eight central ones on the 

 larger paxillae. On the center of the disk the paxillas become smaller 

 and very much crowded, so that they seem to blend together. On 

 the bases of the rays they are about i mm. to 1.2 mm. broad. 



The inferomarginal plates are large and very spinose ; they bear 

 two submedian rows of acute spines, increasing in size upward, the 

 upper two or three being much larger and longer than the rest, and 

 on the basal plates they rapidly increase in size and become flattened, 

 somewhat paddle-shaped, with acuminate tips. The rest of the sur- 

 face is covered with numerous small, somewhat imbricated and flat- 

 tened, blunt spinules. 



The adambulacral plates have a furrow-series of three or four 

 rather long, slender, divergent spines; and on the actinal side four, 

 or sometimes five, much larger, flattened or paddle-shaped, obtuse, 

 erect spines, usually standing two by two. The central spine of the 

 furrow-series is stouter than the others, but stands a little farther 

 within the groove. 



No pedicellariae were found. 



Off San Francisco ( Prof. W. E. Ritter) ; Pacific Grove ( Prof. 

 W. R. Coe). This species has a known range froin Monterey Bay 

 to Lower California. 



Dr. Fisher records it from numerous stations, from off Monterey 

 to Guadalupe Island, in 10 to 244 fathoms. Abundant off Monterey ; 

 off San Pedro ; off Santa Barbara, etc., in 25 to 50 fathoms. 



ASTROPECTEN ORNATISSIMUS Fisher. 



Astropecten ornatissimus Fisher, op. cit, 1906b, p. 119: op. cit., igiifc, p. 67, 

 pi. VI, figs, 3, 4; pi. vn, fig. 2; p!. LI, figs. i-ic. 



Allied to A. calif orniciis. Differs in having larger dorsal paxillae, 

 with longer, more slender, and more spaced spinules ; in having the 

 paxillae more uniform in size across the ray, not more elongated 

 medially, nor smaller over a large central area, of the disk ; in having 

 more slender, longer and more tapered adambulacral spines; in 

 having the upper edge of each ambulacral plate produced into a thin 

 lamina between the pairs of ampullae, with its edge serrulate. 



Greater radius, 56 mm. ; lesser, 14 mm. ; ratios, i : 4 (Fisher). 



I have not received this species. Mr. Fisher records it from 

 sixteen stations from off San Pedro and Catalina Island, to Guada- 

 lupe and Cerros Islands, Lower California, in 47 to 207 fathoms. 



