three Exotic Starfishes. 27 
associate the name of Liitken, and not Linneus, with the 
species under discussion. But if we do this we come at once 
into contact and opposition with the views of Dr. Litken 
himself, who (Vid. Medd. 1864, p. 161) replaces O. clavatus, 
M. & Tr., by O. dorsatus, L., A. dorsata being one of the 
three species of Asteras mentioned in the Mus. ‘Tessin. 
Dr. Liitken has done so much for our knowledge of Kchino- 
derms, and has treated questions of nomenclature in so 
reasonable a manner, that [ am sorry to appear to disagree 
with him; but I think we are exchanging firm ground for 
shifting sands if we budge from 1758 as the year from which 
binominal appellations are to begin. 
Those who accept this view will write the synonymy of the 
two species thus :— 
Gontodiscus articulatus. 
Goniaster articulatus, Liitken (ex Linn. Mus. Tessin, (1753), p. 114), 
Vid. Medd. 1864, p. 147. 
Asterias aranciaca, Linu. Syst. Nat. 1758, p. 662 (pars). 
Goniodiscus seb, M. & Tr. Syst. Ast. (1842), p. 58; Perrier, Arch. 
zool. exp. v. (1876), p. 46 (pars). 
Goniodiscus articulatus, de Loriol, Rec. Zool. Suiss. i. (1884), p. 638. 
Pentaceros clavatus. 
Asterias nodosa, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1758, p. 661 (pars). 
Oreaster clavatus, M. & Tr, Syst. Ast. (1842), p. 49. 
Oreaster dorsatus, Liitk. (ex Linn. Mus. Tessin. (1753), p. 114), Vid. 
Medd. 1864, p. 161; Bell, P. Z. S. 1884, p. 77. 
Pentaceros dorsatus, Perrier, Arch. zool, exp. v. (1876), p. 61. 
A Phantom Species. 
““Goniodiscus gracilis, Gray.” 
This is one of the most curious inventions I have ever met 
with. The hare. seems to have been started by Dr. von 
Martens, who (Arch. f. Nat. 1866, p. 86) writes :— 
“oc, RANDASIA, Gray. 
““Goniaster Luzonicus, Gray, Ann. mag. n. h. vi, 1841. 
Philippines. 
“ Gontaster gracilis, Gray, Ann. mag. n.h. vi., 1841. Ter- 
nate (Molukken).”’ 
A reference to the volume cited—it is of some significance 
that Dr. von Martens gives no page—shows that the last two 
lines of this quotation are not to be found either following 
the reference to Randasia luzonica (p. 278), or, indeed, in 
