296 NEW STARFISHES AND OPHIUBANS—VERRILL. voi..xvii. 



entire dorsal surface of the disk and arms is closely covered by small 

 rounded granules, which vary but little, in size, but those upon the 

 radial shields are a little the largest. The under surface of the disk 

 and arms of one specimen is covered with a smooth skin entirely 

 destitute of granules, but another specimen of the same size from 

 the same locality has the entire under surface of the disk, jaws, and 

 basal part of the arms covered with minute granules, decidedly smaller 

 and more spaced than those on the back ; similar granules cover the 

 lower part of the sides of the arms and the intervals between the plates 

 beneath. The teeth are rather large, stout, somewhat spear-head shaped. 

 In one specimen there is a row of three or four small, rounded, subacute 

 mouth-papillje; but in the other, the sides of the jaws are covered with 

 many small granules like those of the disk. 



The genital openings are large and wide, and together form a large 

 pit in the middle of the interbrachial area, in the dry specimen; but in 

 the alcoholic specimen they are large, oblong, rounded at both ends, 

 converging somewhat below, and separated by a granulated depressed 

 area, about twice as wide as their own breadth. 



In both specimens the first two pairs of tentacle-pores are destitute 

 of spines or scales; the third pair has but one, rather large spiuiform 

 scale; the fourth pair, indifferently one or two, on different arms of the 

 same specimen; the fifth, sixth, and following pairs have two spines, 

 which differ but little in size, but the inner is longer and rapidly in- 

 creases in size, until it becomes more than twice as long and three or 

 four times as thick as the outer one, on the middle portion of the arm, 

 where a third small, short, spinule sometimes occurs above the two 

 regular ones. 



The large inner spine is round and usually somewhat swollen, or 

 club-shaped, with a blunt end; the outer half is thickly covered with 

 minute, sharp, rough spinules. The outer of the two spines is slender, 

 and tapers gradually to a rather sharp point, which is more or less 

 spinulous. Toward the tips of the arms the two spines become very 

 small, slender, acute and nearly equal. 



Variations. — The two specimens obtained differ considerably, as men- 

 tioned in the above description, in several characters. They are both 

 from the same locality, attached to the same kind of gorgonian, and have 

 the same size, color, and appearance. The most important difference is 

 ill the granulation of the under surface of the disk, which is entirely 

 w^anting in one specimen and well marked in the other: and in the i)res- 

 euce of small mouth-papillic in the former, which are entirely wanting, 

 or represented only by granules, in the other. 



Color in alcohol, salmon brown; the intervals between the arm-plates 

 are darker brown than the plates, and the arm-spines are tipped witu 

 dark brown. 



Station 2530, off George's Bank, in 95G fathoms (No. 11852, U. S. N. 



