274 NEW STARFISHES AND OPHIURANS—VEBRILL. vol.xvii. 



wide and closely covered with concealed plates, each of which bears, on 

 a small conical elevation, one or two tapering acute spines, similar to, 

 but smaller than, the adjacent adambulacral spines. A row of inter- 

 mediate actiual plates extends out on the rays nearly to the tips, 

 between the lateral and adambulacral plates; each of these usually 

 bears a simple acute spine similar to the adjacent adambulacral spines. 

 In younger specimens a similar row of plates and spines extends out a 

 short distance along the ray. Each of the adambulacral plates bears 

 an inner or furrow-group of 4 or 5 moderately long, rather stout, 

 tapered, acute spines, of which the central ones are a little the longest; 

 these spines are firmly united by a web for more than half their length 

 in dry specimens, in some of which they closely interlock across the 

 grooves. Each plate also bears a transverse row, usually of 3 mod- 

 erately stout, much tapered, acute, usually somewhat curved spines. 

 These are about equal in length and are longer than, and about twice 

 as thick as, the furrow-si)ines. 



This species was taken in 1885 at station 2530, off George's Bank, in 

 956 fathoms, one specimen (Ko. 14848, U. S.N. M.); at station 2550, off 

 Martha's Vineyard, in 1,081 fathoms, one specimen (No. 11810, U. S. 

 N. M.), and in 1886 at station 2682, off Martha's Vineyard, in 1,004 

 fathoms, three specimens. 



CROSSASTER HELIANTHUS, new species. 



Eays about 13, rather short, their length less than the diameter of 

 the disk, rounded above, rapidly tapered. The proportion of the radii 

 of the type specimen is as 1 to 2.10. 



The greatest diameter is 125 mm. ; the lesser radius, 30 mm. ; the greater 

 radius, 63 mm. ; the diameter of the madreporic plate, 4 mm. ; breadth of 

 rays at base, 13 mm. ; length of rays, 30 to 38 mm. The disk is large 

 and swollen. The whole dorsal surface is covered with moderately large 

 and somewhat elongated paxilliform prominences or pseudopaxillae, 

 which are rather regularly arranged and well separated, j)lainly show- 

 ing in dry specimens the rather firm and closely reticulated skeleton 

 and the small but well-defined interspaces, so that the surface has a 

 rough appearance when dry. The skeleton plates are stoutest opposite 

 the interradial angles on the disk. The pseudopaxillte are the broad- 

 based somewhat conical central summits of the plates; each of the 

 larger ones bears a compact fascicle of 6 to 12 or more small somewhat 

 elongated erect spinules, of which 2 or 3 in the middle of each group 

 are a little the longest, causing the clusters to have a rounded apex. 

 Toward the end of the arms the clusters of spinules are much smaller. 

 The papulfe are small and very numerous, 6 to 9 usually occurring in 

 each of the larger dorsal interspaces. Madreporic plate rather large, 

 situated about midway between the center and margin, not surrounded 

 by specially large pseudopaxilla?. 



The inferior marginal plates are prominent, well spaced, not very 

 numerous, about 16 to 18 in the type specimen. Those near the base 



