REPORT ON THE ASTEROIDEA. 611 
Locality.—Station 237. Off the coast of Japan, south of Kawatsu. June 17, 1875. 
Lat. 34° 37’ 0” N., long. 140° 32’ 0” E. Depth 1875 fathoms. Blue mud. Bottom 
temperature 35°°3 Fahr. ; surface temperature 73°:0 Fahr. 
Remarks.—The specimen above described consists of the disk and two entire rays, 
with portions of two others. At first sight its characters vividly recall those of Brisinga 
encecacnemos, but the species is readily distinguished by the smaller number of rays, by 
the character of the adambulacral armature, by the extraordinary delicacy of the abactinal 
membrane, and by the simplicity of the covering of the disk; the lateral margin of the 
disk is also distinctly bevelled in contrast to the more precipitous wall in Brisinga 
endecacnemos. 
6. Brisinga membranacea, u. sp. (P]. CX. figs. 8 and 9). 
Disk and number of rays unknown. R=75 mm. Breadth of a ray at the base, 2°5 
mm.; at the widest part of the ovarial inflation, 3 mm. (measured at 12 mm. from the 
base of the ray) ; and midway between the extremities, 1°75 mm. 
Rays elongate, slender, and tapering to a fine extremity, but they appear to be compara- 
tively short in proportion to their robustness as compared with the majority of the species of 
Brisinga ; subcylindrical and depressed at the base, thence swelling slightly and gradually 
into a very feebly developed ovarial inflation and as gradually contracting, the widest 
part being comparatively far removed from the base of the ray, which causes the ovarial 
region to appear to occupy quite the inner third of the length. Outward beyond this 
point the ray is subtriangular. 
The abactinal surface of the ray is covered with an extremely thin and delicate 
membrane. On the inner third or fourth of the ray, that is to say on the ovarial region, 
there are a few irregularly disposed transverse annular calcareous ridges, eight or nine in 
number. These are remarkably narrow, and formed of very delicate elongate ossicles, 
some of which bear short, delicate, hair-like microscopic spinelets. Between the calcareous 
ridges and along the ray beyond the ovarial region are saccular transverse bands or areas 
crowded with small pedicellarize. 
The ambulacral furrow is wide and measures 1°5 to 1°75 mm. at a part where the ray 
is 2°75 mm., about 10 mm. from the base of the ray, The adambulacral plates are longer 
than broad, measuring 1°75 mm. at 10 to 15 mm. from the base of the ray; they are 
considerably constricted midway between their extremities, and the furrow-margin is 
distinctly concave. The adambulacral armature consists of :—(1.) one small inner spinelet 
directed horizontally over the furrow ; (2.) a small actinal spine, standing perpendicularly 
on the actinal surface of the plate; (3.) a moderately long lateral spine, normally corres- 
ponding to every alternate plate, articulated on a small independent marginal plate. The 
small inner spine is attached near the aboral end of the plate, and is situated quite within 
