50 NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN 



webbed, in a longitudinal row on the inner margin of the groove 

 and one or more clusters or a transverse webbed series or comb 

 of movable spines on the outer surface. True pedicellariae are 

 not known in most species, but large specimens sometimes liave 

 a few small bifid spines in the furrow series, and in S. stimpsom 

 a few minute simple bivalve pedicellariae sometimes occur on the 

 dorsal paxillar areas. Sladen (1888 and 1889) divided this 

 family into two subfamilies: Solasterince and Korethrast evince. 

 In this he was followed by Perrier (1894, pp. 154, 158). Later 

 these have been considered separate families. 



Genus Lophaster Verrill. 



Lophaster Verrill, Amer. Jouru. Sci. ser. Ill, xvi, p. 214 (type, L. furcifer), 



1878. Expl. Albatross in 1883. Ann. Keport U. S* Fish Coram., pp. 



531, 541 [29, 39], pi. xvi, figs. 49, 49o, 1885. (L. furcifer); Amer. 



Journ. Sci., xlix, p. 201, 1895. Sladen, Voy. Chall., xxx, pp. 458-461, 



1889. Fislier, op. cit., 19116, p. 334. 



Lophaster Verrill, op. cit., 1914a, p. 366. 



Solaster (pars) Danielssen and Koren, Asteroidea, Norske Nordhavs-Expd. 



Zool., xi, p. 47, pi. viii, fig. 12; pi. ix, figs. 9-11, 1884 (structure). 

 Sarlcaster Ludwig, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. xxxii, p. 185, 1905 (t. 

 Fisher). 



Rays nominally five, sometimes six. Disk not very broad. 

 Dorsal surface covered with nearly uniform paxilliform plates 

 (parapaxillae) which have a columar or raised boss, and a lobed 

 polygonal or cruciform base ; their lobes are articulated by over- 

 lapping, without intermediate ossicles, and thus form a closely 

 reticulated structure with polygonal or subquadrate meshes, and 

 usually solitary papulae. 



Marginal plates of both series well developed, in regular series, 

 parapaxilliform, like the dorsals, but larger. 



Interactinal plates closely united in interradial angles, with 

 paxilliform spinules ; a single row usually extends far along the 

 rays in adult specimens, with or without spinules. Adambulac- 

 ral plates have a furrow series of webbed spines, and a trans- 

 verse comb on the actinal surface. 



Species of this genus have been found in deep water, in all 

 the oceans. 



