A. E. Verrill — Bevisioti Genera and Species of Star^shes. 151 



The abactinal j^lates are rather large, polygonal or roundish, cov- 

 ered with crowded, short, angular granules, with a larger marginal 

 series ; sometimes they also bear pedicellarise. Between these there 

 are often, in adults, many small ossicles, usually bearing groups of 

 few granules. Papular pores are present between most of the abac- 

 tinal plates, except in the small interradial areas. 



In adult specimens some of the distal, lower, marginal plates bear 

 small conical spines or tubercles, in some species. 



Pedicellariae have been observed only in G. Americanus, where they 

 are sometimes numerous, both on the actinal and abactinal plates, 

 and they occur also on the sides of the dorsal spines and mai'ginal 

 plates. They are small, high, slender, pincfer-shaped, with spatulate 

 blades and corresponding sockets on the plates. (See below.) 



Perrier erroneously states (1894) that pedicellarise are not found 

 in this genus. They were desci'ibed by me in 1871. 



When very young (up to 12 or 14™™ in diameter) there is no 

 appearance of dorsal spines or tubercles and the marginal plates are 

 few in number and granulated. In this stage there appears to be no 

 obvious distinction between this genus and Pentagonaster or Tosia. 



Such specimens were mistaken by Perrier for a distinct species 

 [Pent, parvus). They will be more fully described on a later page. 



Goniaster Americanus Verrill. 



Goniaster Ame7Hcanus Verrill, Amer. Joiirn. Sci., vol. ii, p. 230, 1871. 

 Pentagonaster seinilunatus (pars) Perrier, Arch, de Zool. exper. , v, p. 24, 1876. 

 Phaneraster seinilunatus (pars) Perrier, Sci. Exp. Trav. and Talis., p. 388, 1894. 

 Pentagonaster parvus Perrier, Mem. Etoiles de mer, Nouv. Archives du Mus. 

 d'Hist. Nat., vi, p. 231, pi. vii, figs. 7, 8, 1884. (Young.) 



Plate XXIVa. Figures 1, 2. Plate XXVI. Figures 1-6. 



This species was originally described by me so minutely that it is 

 not necessary to repeat the general description of the adult. The 

 type was from rather shallow water, off the coast of South Carolina. 



This type specimen, which is in the museum of Yale University, 

 has a large number of high, pincer-like pedicellari^e, with two 

 slender spatulate or spoon-shaped blades, and a slightly enlarged 

 articulating base ; the blades are sometimes straight, but often more 

 or less strongly curved to the right or left. The blades, when fully 

 expanded, rest in socket-like depressions of the plates, which corre- 

 spond in shape and curvature with the blades, so that the two 

 belonging to a pedicellaria with curved blades, form, when taken 



