WEST INDIAN STARFISHES 137 



disappear on some plates. A few miliary spinelets may occur 

 around the bases of the large ones. 



The combined jaw-plates are broad and short, with a wide 

 elliptical suture, and a very broadly curved peroral edge, which 

 bears two pairs of stout, blunt, peroral spines, the two middle 

 ones considerably larger. The adoral row on each side has eight 

 to ten slender spines, like other adambulacrals in size, but in a 

 slightly curved row, the most adoral spine longest. Epioral 

 spines are not very numerous, slender, acute. 



The type, and only specimen seen, is from Albatross station 

 2128, N. lat. 19° 55' 46"; W. long. 75° 49' 23", south of East 

 Cuba, in 400 fathoms, blue mud and fine sand. (No. 7425, Nat. 

 Mus. ) It is dry, color yellowish brown. 



In general appearance this is like Luidiaster, but it has the 

 pedicellariae and papute more like those of Cheiraster. I attach 

 no generic importance to the presence of two large adambulacral 

 spines on most of the plates. 



The dry specimen affords no chance to ascertain the attach- 

 ment of the radial muscular bands, which seems to be the only 

 real distinction between the two genera. 



Genus Pectin ASTER Perrier (emended). 



Arcliaster (pars) Perrier, Etoiles de Mer, p. 263, 1884. 



Pectinaster (pars) Perrier, Ann. Sci. Nat., vol. xix, p. 70, 1885 (type P. 

 filholi Per.) ; Exped. Trav. et Talisman, p. 278, 1894. Ludwig (emend- 

 ed), Notomyota, op. cit., p. 448, 1910. Fisher, op. cit., 1911&, p. 122. 



Pontaster (pars) Sladen, op. cit.. p. 23, 1889. 



Cheiraster (pars) Ludwig, Asteroidea, p. 1, 1905. 



Form regularly stellate, mth regularly tapered angular rays, 

 normally five. Odd interradial marginal plates lacking. Dorsal 

 radial paxillary areas rather narrow, reaching the tip of the 

 rays, covered with small, roundish, low or convex plates, bearing 

 small spinules and often a larger central spine, on some of them. 



Papularia specialized at base of rays, medial or central, and 

 more or less smaller, but not two-lobed. 



Marginal plates are well developed, usually not particularly 

 large, more or less out of line in the two rows, so that the vertical 

 sutures do not correspond, and are somewhat oblique. Those of 

 both series are spinulose and bear one large spine, often with one 



