264 NEW STARFISHES AND OPHrUBANS—VERRILL. vol. xvii. 



latter; those in the other rows have a tendency to stand opposite those 

 of the first series, those in each succeeding- row being smaller, but this 

 arrangement is not entirely regular. The first row of actinal plates 

 extends to within a short distance from the end of the rays, only the 

 last 4 pairs of marginal plates being wathout them, but they become 

 small and narrow distally. 



Tlie adambulacral plates are rectangular, shortest radially, convex, 

 separated by well-marked sutures. The larger specimens have either 

 2 or 3 rather long and nearly equal, erect, furrow-spines, on each 

 plate, and about 5 or 6 similar, but slightly larger, erect sj)ines on its 

 actinal surface; these spines are all pointed and quite identical, in size 

 and form, with those of the adjacent ijlates. 



Specimens of ordinary size have the smaller radius about 16 mm.; 

 the larger radius 40 to 42 mm. A few 6-rayed specimens have occurred. 

 This species was taken at a large number of stations by the U. S. 

 Fish Commission, in 43 to 1,230 fathoms, between N. Lat. 35° 14' 20" 

 and 40° 10' 15". 



PENTAGONASTER EXIMIUS, new species. 



A small, flat species, with a broad, pentagonal disk, nearly rectilinear 

 on the interradial margins, and with small, short, narrow rays, which 

 are obtusely rounded at the eiid, owing to the presence of a rather 

 large apical plate. The lesser to the greater radius, as 1 to 1.75. Les- 

 ser radius of the best specimen, 16 nun. ; greater radius, 25 mm.; eleva- 

 tion of the margin of the dry specimen, 3 mm. ; length of the largest 

 marginal plates, 2 mm. ; diameter of the largest dorsal paxilla? of the 

 rays, 1.2 mm. 



The abactinal surface is closely covered by nearly flat, rather large, 

 closely granulated plates, which, in the radial areas, are regularly hex- 

 agonal at summit, a central median series being distinguishable, though 

 scarcely larger than those adjacent. The central area of the disk is 

 occupied by angular plates, more irregular in size and form, among which 

 all the central and the 10 primary radial and interradial plates can 

 be easily distinguished by their much greater size and more numerous 

 granules, their diameter being about 2 nun,, and the number of granules 

 more than 100. The large triangular interradial areas^ destitute of 

 papula;, are occupied by very closely arranged angular plates, some of 

 which are rhombic, others trapezoidal, and some subtriangular, those 

 nearest the marginal plates being smaller than the others, but all are 

 covered with a uuifori)i granulation. On the larger radial plates there 

 is a central group of 15 to 20 closely packed, rounded granules and a 

 marginal series of from 20 to 25 angular ones. On the distal part of the 

 rays the median plates become smaller and more irregular, and have no 

 intervening papul*, and between the last three pairs of marginal plates 

 they are absent. The madreporic plate is small, angular, and nearer 

 to the center than the margin (distance from center, 6 mm.); it has 

 rather few convoluted gyri. 



