180 NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN 



The adambulacral plates have three slender spines in the in- 

 ner row, the middle one longer, larger, and compressed ; some- 

 times there are four or five spines proximally, on a few plates. 

 The second row usually has about three smaller and more slender 

 subequal spines ; the third row has three to five still smaller ones ; 

 a fourth row of three small spinules is sometimes present. Some- 

 times the spinules of the outer part form a divergent group of 

 eight or nine. 



A papillose pedicellaria often replaces the spines of the second 

 series on more or less of the plates in variety forcipatus. 



Young specimens, with the greater radius 13"*™ to 16™™ have 

 essentially the same characters. 



Dredged by the Albatross off West Florida, at station 2,318, 

 in 45 fathoms; station 2,836, in 111 fathoms; station 2,406, in 26 

 fathoms; and off Georgia, station 2,417, in 95 fathoms (variety) ; 

 station 2,418, in 95 fathoms; station 2,313, in 99 fathoms (va- 

 riety). The largest specimen (described above) is from station 

 2,762. (No. 18,344.) Range in depth, 20 to 111 fathoms. 



ASTROPECTEN NITIDUS var. FORCIPATUS, nOV. 



Plate xvi; figure 3. Details. Plate xx; figure 1. Type. 



This form agrees with the preceding in size, shape, and nearly 

 all other respects, except the armature of the adambulacral 

 plates. 



In this a large, blunt, conical pedicellaria, with three to five 

 slender valves, replaces all or most of the spines of the second 

 series. It it usually near the aboral edge of the plate, and in 

 that case there may be one or two small spines on the adoral 

 edge. But it is frequently on the middle of the plate with no 

 spine alongside. Two may occur on one plate, side by side. 



These pedicellariae may occur on nearly every plate, or they 

 may be absent on part of them. The four or five slender outer 

 spines are usually present with, the pedicellaria. 



Similar pedicellaria occur on the few interactinal plates and 

 sometimes a few of smaller size are on the inferomarginal plates. 



Taken off South Carolina and Georgia by the Albatross, in 95 

 and 99 fathoms (Nos. 10,067 and 10,543) ; and off W. Florida, in 

 26 fathoms. 



