WEST INDIAN STARFISHES 201 



acute, upper marginal spines; the upper one is less than half as 

 long as the other, which is regularly tapered, often a little curved, 

 but not flattened and very sharp ; in length, the larger ones are 

 about equal to one-fourth of the rays proximally, or equal to the 

 width of the three adjacent rows of paxillae. Around the bases 

 of the large spines are a number of small acute spines. 



Color in life, either gray, or salmon, or rose-salmon. 



This species, like others of the genus, habitually lives con- 

 cealed just under the surface of the sand. Its presence is be- 

 trayed, in shallow water, by the star-shaped impression that it 

 forms by the action of currents of water flowing upward, through 

 the paxillar areas, caused by ciliary action for respiratory pur- 

 poses. When disturbed it glides away very rapidly, beneath the 

 surface of the sand, by means of its large, flattened, muscular 

 ambulacral feet, which it uses like paddles. It can also swim, 

 by their aid, free of the sand, or on its surface. 



Most common in less than 20 fathoms. Taken at 18 stations, 

 from N. lat. 37° 31' to 35° 12', by the U. S. Fish Commission, in 

 10 to 48 fathoms. Common in shallow water from North Caro- 

 lina southward to Florida and the West Indies. Rio Janeiro, 

 Brazil. Rare north of Cape Hatteras; it has been recorded from 

 southern New Jersey. 



In the Yale Museum there are specimens from Egmont Key, 

 W. Florida, W. T. Coons (No. 2195) ; Fort Macon, N. C, Dr. 

 Yarrow (No. 4431) ; Rio de Janeiro, coll. C. F. Hartt (No. 5202) ; 

 Cuba; etc. 



Bermuda, common in sheltered situations just below low-tide 

 level, on bottoms of shell-sand, concealed just below the surface. 



All living specimens seen by me in Bermuda were either pale 

 salmon or rose-salmon. Those from Florida and North Carolina 

 are gray. 



LuiDiA ALTERNATA (Say) Ltitkcn. 



Asterias alternata Say, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., v, p. 144, 1825. 

 Luidia alternata Liitken, Vidensk. Meddel., p. 42, 1859; op. cit., p. 301, 



1871. Verrill, Notes on Kadiata, Trans. Conn. Acad., i, p. 343. 1867. 



Perrier, Arch. Zool. Exper., v. p. 254, 1876. Sladen, op. cit., 1889, p. 



250. Ives. op. cit., p. 326, 1890. Nutting, Narrative, p. 166. Clark, 



op. cit., p. 4, 1898. 

 Luidia variegata Perrier, op. cit., p. 257, 1876. 

 Luidia granulosa Perrier, Pedicellaires, p. 109, 1869 (t. Perrier, 1876). 



