﻿132 
  C0LLECTI0X8 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA, 
  

  

  27. 
  Luidia, 
  sp. 
  

  

  A 
  single 
  dried 
  specimen 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  was 
  taken 
  at 
  

   Port 
  Dar\vin. 
  Though 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  a 
  condition 
  to 
  be 
  described, 
  it 
  is 
  

   right 
  to 
  direct 
  attention 
  to 
  it, 
  as 
  no 
  species 
  of 
  Luidia 
  is 
  mentioned 
  

   either 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Perrier 
  or 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Tenison- 
  Woods 
  in 
  their 
  lists 
  of 
  

   Starfishes 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  seas. 
  The 
  example 
  in 
  question 
  was 
  

   greatly 
  injured 
  during 
  life, 
  and 
  the 
  arms, 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  are 
  only 
  

   five, 
  differ 
  considerably 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  length. 
  It 
  cannot 
  be 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  belonging 
  to 
  Gray's 
  species 
  L. 
  hardwiclcii 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   greater 
  stoutness 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  plates 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  spines 
  found 
  on 
  

   them 
  ; 
  the 
  tufts 
  on 
  the 
  paxillee 
  are 
  likewise 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  stouter 
  

   spinules, 
  and 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  adambulacral 
  spines 
  will, 
  it 
  is 
  

   almost 
  certain, 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  different 
  when 
  a 
  more 
  satis- 
  

   factory 
  specimen 
  is 
  obtained. 
  

  

  28. 
  Astropecten 
  coppingeri. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Coppinger 
  has 
  forwarded 
  examples 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  already 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  in 
  the 
  Museum, 
  but 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  

   description. 
  The 
  species, 
  however, 
  is 
  not, 
  I 
  should 
  imagine, 
  a 
  rare 
  

   one, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  certainly 
  one 
  that 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  be-en 
  recorded 
  as 
  from 
  

   the 
  Australian 
  seas. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  only 
  four 
  spines 
  on 
  each 
  

   series 
  of 
  supero-marginal 
  plates, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  

   plates 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  interradial 
  angle. 
  

  

  Iiz=30"5, 
  r=8. 
  Breadth 
  of 
  arm 
  at 
  base 
  7*5 
  millim. 
  Arms 
  

   taper 
  gradually 
  and 
  regularly 
  ; 
  about 
  twenty-five 
  supero-marginal 
  

   plates, 
  which 
  are 
  higher 
  than 
  broad 
  and 
  very 
  high 
  in 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  

   the 
  arm, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  narrower 
  at 
  their 
  ventral 
  ends 
  ; 
  the 
  plates 
  

   that 
  do 
  not 
  bear 
  spines 
  are 
  regularly 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  somewhat 
  

   coarse 
  granulation, 
  which 
  may 
  almost 
  become 
  spinous 
  ; 
  the 
  two 
  

   terminal 
  plates 
  are 
  large, 
  prominent, 
  and 
  smooth 
  ; 
  the 
  space 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  arras 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  disk 
  is 
  regularly 
  filled 
  with 
  not 
  large 
  

   paxilla3, 
  provided 
  generally 
  with 
  a 
  central 
  tubercle 
  and 
  a 
  circlet 
  of 
  

   from 
  eight 
  to 
  ten 
  tubercles 
  around 
  their 
  head. 
  The 
  spines 
  of 
  the 
  

   infero-marginal 
  plates 
  are 
  prominent 
  and 
  lie 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

   arms, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  visible 
  from 
  the 
  abactinal 
  surface. 
  Inter- 
  

   nally 
  to 
  these 
  long 
  stoutish 
  spines, 
  three 
  smaller 
  ones 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  

   on 
  the 
  actinal 
  surface 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  transverse 
  line 
  ; 
  the 
  intermediate 
  

   space 
  is 
  filled 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  coarse 
  granulation 
  or 
  by 
  spinous 
  processes. 
  

   The 
  spines 
  bordering 
  the 
  ambulacral 
  groove 
  are 
  closely 
  packed 
  ; 
  there 
  

   are 
  three 
  or, 
  more 
  rarely, 
  two 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  each 
  plate 
  ; 
  these 
  are 
  

   elongated 
  and 
  rather 
  delicate 
  ; 
  beyond 
  this 
  internal 
  row 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   row 
  of 
  stouter 
  shorter 
  spines, 
  and 
  beyond 
  these 
  are 
  others 
  which 
  

   become 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  confounded 
  with 
  the 
  covering 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  

   plates. 
  

  

  Madreporic 
  plate 
  not 
  detected. 
  The 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  paxillse 
  

   already 
  described 
  do 
  not 
  hold 
  for 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  disk, 
  where 
  

  

  