168 A. E. Verrill — Revision Genera and Species of StarfisJieis. 



Pyrenaster affinis (Perrier) Ver. 



Pentacjonaster affinis Perrier, Nouv. Arch, du Mus., p. 243, pi. viii, fig. 4. 

 1881. Sladen, op. cit., pp. 265, 744, 1889. 



This is, perhaps, only a variety of the last. The coarser granula- 

 tion and the differentiation of the granules around the margins of the 

 abactinal plates, in the papular areas, are the special characters cited 

 by Perrier. I have not seen the type. 



Some of the younger examples, which I refer to this species on 

 account of the last peculiarity, are not in other respects distinguish- 

 able from dentatus. 



It was dredged by the "Blake" in 1131 and 1323 fathoms, in the 

 West Indies, and by the Albatross. 



Peltaster Ver., gen. nov. Tj^je, P. hebes Verrill. 



Form nearly pentagonal, with \ery short, obtuse rays. Marginal 

 plates rather lai-ge, regular, decreasing in size distally, covered like 

 all the other plates, above and below, with fine nearly uniform gran- 

 ules. Apical plate small. 



Abactinal plates numerous, not large, closely crowded, of two 

 kinds. The primary plates are mostly hexagonal. Between, and often 

 surrounding them, are smaller roundish or irregular plates granulated 

 like the larger ones, but with fewer granules. Papular pores small, 

 numerous, arranged singly around the primary plates and occupying 

 large radial areas. 



Pedicellarise, in the type, large, bivalve, sessile, with broad, lamel- 

 liform jaws, as wide as half the diameter of a plate. They occur 

 mostly on the actinal plates next the adambulacral series. In P. 

 2)lamis none have been observed, but only one specimen is known. 

 Adambulacral plates large, with several series of spinules, which are 

 short, crowded, prismatic and grade into the granulation of adjacent 

 plates. The furrow-series form regular rows of four to six on each 

 plate ; they are smaller and not longer than those of the next series, 

 and there is no naked space between the series. 



Distally one or two of those in the second series gradually change 

 to much longer and larger blunt or conical spines. Dentary plates 

 not jjrominent, covered with numerous blunt prismatic spinules, like 

 those of the adambulacral plates, but rather coarser. 



Actinal plates numerous, squarish or rhombic, close!}' crowded, 

 the outlines obscured by their close, uniform granulation. They run 

 in series parallel with the adambulacral furrows. 



