— 
64 THE ECHINODERMS OF TORRES STRAIT. 
List and present Status of Sea-stars which have been referred to Linckia—continued. 
suturalis von Martens, 1866 =L. levigata; it is clearly not Ophidiaster suturalis Miller and Troschel which = Phataria 
unifascialis. 
tuberculata (Gray) von Martens, 1866 =Nardoa tuberculata. 
tyloplax H. L. Clark, 1914, is valid. 
typus Nardo, 1834=L. levigata. 
unifascialis Gray, 1840 = Phataria unifascialis. 
variolaris Nardo, 1834=Nardoa variolata. 
variolata (Lamarck) Agassiz, 1835 =Nardoa variolata. 
Key to the Species of Linckia. 
A. Granulation of actinal surface extending upon sides of ambulacral grooves so that furrow spines are 
separated from each other by vertical series of minute granules. 
B. Rays relatively short and stout, R =5-10 br; 1 madreporite; color of adult in life brilliant deep blue levigata 
BB. Rays longer and more slender, R=10-12 br; 2 madreporites; no blue in coloration. ............ multifora 
AA. Granulation of actinal surface not extending up into ambulacral grooves; furrow spines not separated 
by granules. 
B. No abactinal plates conspicuously enlarged and swollen. 
C. Poriferous areas between superomarginals and inferomarginals in an unbroken, continuous 
series, more or less circular, each with about 10 pores; actinolateral plates in four 
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CC. Intermarginal poriferous areas not in a continuous series. 
D. Abactinal plates relatively large and few; papular areas small in 5 to 7 more or less regular 
series; papul few (5 to 12) and large, the pores usually much larger than granules 
on adjoining plates; size small, R less than 100 mm...................-..-0+-- columbie 
DD. Abactinal plates relatively small and numerous; papular areas large in 8 to 12 or more 
series, the median ones very irregular and difficult to make out; papule numerous 
(12 to 40) small, the pores usually much smaller than the larger granules of adjoin- 
ing plates; size large, R often 150 to 200 mm. 
E. Color in life: when young dull reddish or purple, more or less variegated with darker 
shades, becoming when adult purplish, reddish brown, or uniformly yellow-brown guildingti 
EE. Color in life: brown and blue with black dots or greenish blue, with black dots; oral 
rosenbergt 
surface: purplishired’)..... Soa Reese. Dares ones are ee ere ee diplax 
BB. Some or many abactinal plates swollen into big, more or less hemispherical nodules. 
C. Rays slender, tapering but little; few swollen plates; no actinal papule.................... bouviert 
CC. Rays stout at base, tapering markedly; numerous swollen abactinal plates; actinal papulie 
tyloplax 
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Linckia levigata. 
Asterias levigata Linné. 1758. Syst. Nat. Ed. 10, p. 662. 
Linckia typus Nardo. 1834. Oken’s Isis, p. 717. 
Linckia levigata Nardo. 1834. Oken’s Isis, p. 717.1 
Linckia crassa Gray. 1840. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 6, p. 284. 
Linckia brownti Gray. 1840. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 6, p. 285. 
Linckia miliaris auct. mult., 1866-1910. 
(Plate 9, Figures 1 and 2; Plate 26, Figure 1.) 
There are a number of early figures of this well-known species, and Saville-Kent 
(1893, Great Barrier Reef of Australia, p. 358, chr. pl. xt, fig. 8) gives a colored illustration 
supposed to be from life, but an accurate drawing of the brilliantly blue living animal and 
a photograph of a dry specimen seem to be still needed. Young specimens (i.e., before 
R=50 mm.) live on the under side of stones and coral fragments and show but little blue. 
Their appearance at this stage is well shown in figure 1, plate 9, but no two specimens are 
colored just alike. Soon after R =50 mm. they come out of their sheltered habitats and 
are found lying more or less fully exposed on the sandy bottom. The development of blue 
pigment seems to take place rapidly at this time. Even in young specimens the papul 
are blue. The tube feet are very pale yellow in small specimens, but become quite deep 
yellow in adults. The blue pigment shows very curious chemical reactions, becoming dull 
orange-red in alcohol very quickly, (See Harvey, 1915, p. 207.) It retains its color to 
some extent in formalin. 
’ 1 While Nardo uses the combination Linckia typus nob. he refers directly to levigata as the species he has in 
mind, so that this is really the first reference of levigata to Linckia, even though Nardo does not actually use the 
combination. 
