Mr. W. K. Fisher on Asteroidea. 169 
The only species in the British Museum, and hence formally 
listed, is D. reevesi?, which is automatically the type. The 
reference to D). longimana is casual, an “aside’’ such as Gray 
frequently indulged in—as, for example, on the same page 
under Stellaster. Here we find “1. Stellaster Childreni,” 
followed by “See a, Asterias eqnestris, Retz... b. Stellaster 
gracilis, Mébius.”’ We know that the first species is the 
type, since the genus was described, with only one species, 
in 1840. Gray naturally chose a species with which he was 
personally acquainted. 
The following observations are pertinent in judging thie 
merits of this case :— 
1. A species doubtfully referred to a genus cannot subse- 
quently be made its type, especially in place of a figured or 
described species upon which the generic name appears to be 
based (J), reevesic). 
2. The first reviser of a genus cannot revise the genus 
before it is described. In other words, what von Martens in 
1865 did with Goniodiscus capella does not have a revisional 
effect on Dorigona reevesit (the same species) in 1866. 
Whoever comes after Gray must choose the type of Dorigona 
upon the data submitted by Gray, not upon what von Martens 
thought or did before Gray’s genus was published. This 
answers Dr. Clark’s statement that D. reevesz is invalidated 
for the type-species of Dorigona by having already been 
made the type of Ogmaster. 
3. Since Sladen eliminated D. longimana by making it the 
type of Iconaster, he became the first reviser, and automati- 
cally fixed the type of Dorigona as D. reevesit. No one is at 
liberty to change this type. The type of Dorigona is 
D. reevesii, tirst, because it is the only species listed formally 
** without doubt,” and, second, because the first reviser go 
fixed it by the simple process of removing the second species 
from the genus. 
Dorigona is therefore a straight synonym of Ogmaster, and 
Iconaster is a tenable name for Astrogonium longimanum. 
Dr. David Starr Jordan concurs in this view. 
Lonchotaster and Dipsacaster—Dr. H. L. Clark has 
recently described (loc. cit. p. 30) a large Astropectinid as 
Lonchotaster magnificus, which almost unquestionably belongs 
to Dipsacaster and is related to D. ¢mperialis, Fisher (Philip- 
pines), D. sladeni, Alcock (Andaman Sea), and D. grandis- 
simus, Goto (Japan). The type of Lonchotaster has never 
been fixed. The genus dates from Sladen, ‘ Challenger’ 
Ann, & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 8. Vol. xx. 12 
