IV. — Revision of certain Genera and Species of Starfishes 



WITH descriptions OF NEW FORMS. By A. E. VkRRILL. 



Family GONIASTERID^. 



Goniastericlce Verrill, Trans. Conn. Acad. Sci., i. p. 343, 1867; Perrier, 

 Revision, Arch. Zool. Exper. et Gen., iv. pp. 281, 283, 289, 291, 1875; 

 op. cit., v., p. 1, 1876. 



Goniastericlce {pars) Forbes, 1840. 



Pentaceroticlce (jyars) Gray, p. 275, 1866. 



Pentagonasteridce Perrier, 1884 ; Sladen, p. 260, 1889. 



The generic nomenclature in this family has become very much 

 confused for several reasons. 



The genera themselves are difficult to limit and define, and scarcely 

 any two investigators, in the past, have agreed as to their number or 

 limits. Nor have they agreed as to what characters should be con- 

 sidered as of generic value. This was the case, in a very marked 

 degree, and very unfortunately, Avhen the ancient and comprehensive 

 genus Asterias was first divided into numerous genera by J. E. Gray, 

 in 1840, and by Miiller and Troschel, in 1842, In these two works, 

 issued within a brief period, there was very great diversity, both as 

 to the number of genera and their names. In the genus Astrogonium 

 of M. and Tr. four of Gray's genera were reunited into owe. In 

 Goniodisciis M. and Tr., five of his genera were also reunited. For 

 about half a century most subsequent authors have tried to take an 

 intermediate course, but gradually more and more of Gray's genera" 

 have been adopted, though often with their limits more or less modi- 

 fied. Fortunately Gray assigned definite types to his genera, and in 

 his later works he described and figured many of the species, so that 

 in most cases his groups can be readily understood. Moreover he 

 followed, pretty closely, the generally accepted rules of zoological 

 nomenclature, which has not always been done by later writers. 



The failure of several writers to follow the ordinary and accepted 

 rules of priority has led to much needless confusion of names. The 

 failure to recognize the priority of Gray's generic names "has been 

 the cause of more confusion than any other one thing, throughout 

 the group of starfishes. 



The efforts that certain writers have made, from time to time, to 

 restrict or apply certain generic names to species or groups to which 

 they were not originally given, has repeatedly led to confusion and 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. X. August, 1899. 



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