﻿PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



by the 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



L. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 

 Vol. 102 Washington ; 1952 No. 3307 



SCHIZOSTELLA, \ NEW GENUS OF BRITTLE STAR 

 (GORGONOCEPHALIDAE) 



Bv Austin H. Clark 



Thanks to the eiitliiisiastic interest of Count Pourtales. Alexander 

 Agassiz, Prof. Rene Koehler, Dr. H. L. Clark, Dr. Th. Mortensen, 

 and others more extensive and intensive work has been done on the 

 echinodenn fauna of the Caribbean area than of any other part of 

 the tropical seas. Yet within the past few years a very considerable 

 number of new and surprising forms have come to light. During re- 

 cent dredging operations Frederick M. Bayer added another to this 

 growing list of unexpected new types, a new genus of Gorgonocephali- 

 dae, which may be known a? — 



SCHIZOSTELLA, new genus 



Diagnosis'. — ^A genus of Gorgonocephalidae, subfamily Astrocheli- 

 nae, resembling Asteroporpa and Astrocnida but with seven rays, the 

 arms bifurcate at about the middle, the double rows of hook-bearing 

 granules with the bordering larger granules forming bands as broad 

 as the distance between them, and reproducing by fission. 



Genotype. — Schizostella hifurcata^ new species. 



Notes. — The subfamily Astrochelinae of the family Gorgonocephali- 

 dae, distinguished from the subfamily Gorgonocephalinae by the ab- 

 sence of interradial accessory plates, includes seven genera of which 

 five, Astrochele.^ Astrogomphus., Asteroporpa., A,strothorax., and Astro- 

 throtribus^ have undivided arms, while in two, Astrocnida and Astro- 

 don., the arms branch at the tip. The genera Astrogomphus, As- 

 teroporpa., and Astrocnida are represented in the Caribbean region, 

 the two first also in the west Pacific. 



451 

 969587—52 



