REPORT ON THE ASTEROIDEA. 427 
8. Bathymetrical range: 100 to 140 fathoms. The genus is thus confined to the 
Littoral zone. 
y. Nature of the Sea-bottom: Pholidaster squamatus is found on Green mud ; Pholi- 
daster distinctus on Blue mud. 
Chorological Synopsis of the Species. 
Ocean, Range in Fathoms. Nature of the Sea-bottom. 
Pholidaster distinctus . | Eastern Archipelago. 140 Blue’mud. 
Pholidaster squamatus .| Eastern Archipelago. 100 Green mud. 
1. Pholidaster squamatus, n. sp. (P]. LX VIL figs. 5 and 6; Pl. LXVIIL figs. 5 and 6). 
Rays five. R= 75mm.;r= 8mm. R<9-‘5r. Breadth of a ray near the base, 8 to 
8°5 mm. 
Rays elongate, semicylindrical, rounded abactinally, flattened actinally, tapering from 
the base to the extremity. Interbrachial arcs acute. Disk very slightly higher than the 
base of the rays, faintly convex. 
All the plates on the abactinal surface, excepting the median radial series and some 
of the primary apical plates on the disk are masked by large skin-covered scales, each 
distinct and appressed to the ray, looking at first sight more like well-defined plates than 
scales. The centre of the disk is occupied by a circular dorso-central plate, the surface 
of which is smooth and covered with thin skin, and the margin surrounded with a compact 
ring of skin-covered scales. External to this may be seen in some examples five small 
under-basal plates, which are circular, smooth, and surrounded by a ring of scales like the 
dorso-central plate. In other examples, however, the under-basal plates are masked and 
the space between the dorso-central and the primary radials is occupied by scales, as in 
Pl. LXVII. fig. 5, which look like polygonal close-fitting plates. The primary radial 
plates are large, irregularly oval transversely, smooth, and surrounded by a ring of scales. 
The succeeding median radial plates are all broader than long and are separated from 
one another by a straight row of five subquadrangular scales, the outer one at each end 
of the series being rather larger than the three central ones, attached to the outer margin 
of the plate, the free end of the scale being directed outward. The breadth of the median 
radial series of plates is one third of the breadth of the ray. On each side of the median 
radial series is a series of small plates, which bear a single large scale, but sometimes a 
large one and a small one are present, by which they are entirely masked. External to 
these is a series of large marginal plates, much broader than long, which bear two sub- 
