Indian Deep-sea Dredying. 431 



Abactinal surface of disk and rays with close-set spinose 

 paxill^, which become small and crowded towards the sub- 

 central anal aperture; those of the rajs are somewhat 

 obscurely arranged in transverse series. 



The whole abactinal surface is perforated with close-set 

 papiilffi. The supero-marginal plates are 31 in number and 

 are directly superposed on the infero-marginals, plate to 

 plate; each plate is coarsely granular in the middle and 

 covered_ near the margin with capillary spinules, and bears 

 two rigid spines, one at the abactinal, the other near the 

 actinal end, the former being the smaller and often bifid. The 

 infero-marginals correspond, plate to plate, with the supero- 

 marginals ; they are uniformly covered with papilliform 

 granules, which are largest in the middle of the plate, and 

 each bears near its abactinal end a stout rigid spine, beneath 

 which is an obliquely vertical row of three or four slender 

 movable spines. 



Adambulacral plates with a slightly convex furrow-margin, 

 armed with a comb of six or seven longish compressed spines ; 

 actinally there are two longitudinal series of small, inflated, 

 longitudinally-grooved (barleycorn-shaped) spines, four in 

 each series. Mouth-plates small, tumid, with close suture; 

 each plate with a furrow-series of about seven spines, tlie 

 most adcentral of which is of enormous relative size, and with 

 two longitudinal series of close-set papilliform spinelets on 

 the actinal surface. 



Actinal interradial areas large, the intermediate plates 

 extending halfway along the rays ; each plate closely covered 

 with " barleycorn " spines. 



Madreporjform body small and inconspicuous, situated 

 about two diameters from the margin of the disk. 



Ambulacral groove extremely broad and open ; tube-feet 

 large, conical. 



_ Colour in the fresh state olive-yellow, marginal plates 

 pink, tube-feet red. 



Station 109, 738 fathoms. 



6. Persephonaster rhodopeplusy sp. n. 

 Rays 5. R = 3-5 r. 



Rays rather short, rigid. 



Abactinal surface of disk and rays covered with very close- 

 set tabulate paxilia3 surmounted by numerous flat-topped 

 granules ; the paxillje are very small and crowded towards 

 the subcentral anal aperture ; those of the rays are arranged 



30* 



