REPORT ON THE ASTEROIDEA. 251 
Remarks.—The young forms of this species appear to me to agree so closely with the 
brief descriptions of Lwidia elegans, Perrier, and Inidia variegata, Perrier, that after a 
careful study of the present series of specimens, I have felt the strongest temptation to con- 
sider that the two species just named were growth-stages of Iwidia alternata. As I have 
not had an opportunity of seeing the types of either Lwidia elegans or Lidia variegata, 
I refrain from expressing a definite opinion upon the subject. Lwidia elegans is cited by 
Verrill * as a distinct species in the results of the “ Albatross” dredgings, and this circum- 
stance would naturally lead to the inference that the forms are perhaps better distinguished 
than I have supposed. At any rate the figures assigned to Luidia elegans in that work 
bear no resemblance to the species I have studied. On the other hand, Lwidia variegata 
has been placed as a synonym of Lidia alternata by Ludwig,’ in his account of the 
Asteroidea collected by Professor Ed. Van Beneden on the coast of Brazil. 
I can confirm Ludwig's statement that pedicellariz are not present in the young stages 
of Lwidia alternata, from specimens collected by the Challenger. 
3. Luidia limbata, n. sp. (Pl. XLIV. figs. 3 and 4; Pl. XLV. figs. 7 and 8). 
Rays five. R=110mm.,r=15 mm. R=7:3 7. Breadth of a ray near the base, at 
the broadest part, 18 mm. 
Rays moderately long, very flat, and rather broad, tapering slowly from the base to 
the extremity, which is not very attenuate; frequently with a slight lateral constriction at 
the base. Abactinal and actinal surfaces subplane, bevelled towards the margin, which is 
subangular, slightly rounded. 
The paxillee of the abactinal area are large, compact, closely fitting, and square, except 
along the median radial line and the centre of the disk. The larger paxillee bear on the 
tabulum about a dozen, or even more, low, hemispherical granules, subequal, comparatively 
large and well-spaced, and round the margin a series of very small, short, cilia-like spinelets, 
about two dozen or more in number, the series often appearing to be double. There are 
three to four regular longitudinal series of square paxille at the sides of the ray. In the 
intermediate area along the median radial line the paxillze are smaller, and have a tendency 
(more marked in some examples than others) to become rounded or irregular in form, 
The paxille, which represent the aborted supero-marginal plates, are remarkable for 
bearing on their tabulum a broad, low, valvular pedicellaria resembling the form frequently 
found in Pentagonasteride. These pedicellariz are most numerous in the neighbourhood of 
the interbrachial ares, and may there extend upon the adjacent one or two series of longitu- 
dinal paxille. Along the ray, however, they are generally confined to the outermost or 
“‘supero-marginal” series. Sometimes on the inner part of the ray there are two pedicel- 
1 Report of Commiss. Fish and Fisheries for 1883, Washington, 1885, p. 543, pl. xiii figs. 39, 39a. 
2 Mém. Cour. Acad. roy. Belgique, 1882, t. xliv. p. 9. 
