LABRADOR ASTEROIDEA — GRAINGER 43 



appears to be an Arctic and Subarctic species. From Labrador and 

 Foxe Basin in eastern Canada, it is known as far to the east as the 

 New Siberian Islands. Additional specimens of the species have 

 been identified by the author from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and 

 south of Newfoundland. 



Stephanasterias albula (Stimpson) 



Asteracanthion albulus Stimpson, 1853, p. 14, pi. 1, fig. 5. 



Stichaster albilus (Stimpson). — Mortensen, 1910, p. 267, pis. 13 (figs. 1-6), 14 



(fig. 8), 15 (figs. 8-10), 17 (fig. 12). 

 Stephanasterias albula (Stimpson). — Fisher, 1930, pp. 157-159, pis. 70 (figs. 1-5), 



71 (figs. 1, la-g), 72 (fig. 5). 



Collected at 1 station; 18 to 22 m.; rock, mud; 1950: BLD3 (2 

 specimens) . 



The 2 individuals collected in Seven Islands Bay (fig. 1) are 42 

 and 31 mm. in diameter, the larger having 6 unequal rays, the smaller 

 3 equal rays. Temperature was 1° C, salinity 31.6 (fig. 2). Arctic 

 and Subarctic in distribution, the species is recorded from eastern 

 Canada eastward to the Kara Sea, and in the Bering Sea, Sea of 

 Okhotsk, and Sea of Japan. It is not known in North America from 

 west of Foxe Basin and Jones Sound nor in northern Asia from between 

 the Bering and Kara Seas. 



Urasterias linckii (Miiller and Troschel) 



Asteracanthion linckii Miiller and Troschel, 1842, p. 18. 

 Asterias gunneri Danielssen and Koren, 1884, p. 7, pis. 2, 3 (figs. 8, 9). 

 Asterias stellionura Danielssen and Koren, 1884, p. 14, pi. 4 (figs. 1-9). 

 Urasterias linckii (Miiller and Troschel). — 'Fisher, 1930, p. 211. 



Collected at 12 stations; 27 to 146 m.; mud, rock; 1950: BLDl (16 

 specunens), BLD2 (3), BLD5 (7), BLD7 (4), BLD8 (2), BLDl 2 (2), 

 BLD20 (2); 1951: BLD23 (1), BLD37 (3), BLD41 (4); 1952: I-2a, b 

 (6), 1-17 (2). _ 



These individuals range in diameter from 20 to 330 mm., in Il:r 

 from 4.3:1 to 8.5:1. The specimens in this collection were taken 

 only from Lake Melville (fig. 1) ; none were taken along the outer 

 coast. Figure 2 shows temperatures mostly above 0° C. and reaching 

 2° C, and salinities from 15 to only 28.5. In this collection the 

 species is restricted to low salinity and intermediate temperatures. 



Almost circumpolar, although not recorded from between Herschel 

 Island (near the Alaskan-Yukon boundary) and the eastern Siberian 

 Sea, it is an Arctic-Subarctic species. Because the species occurs 

 elsewhere in higher salinity than here, its apparent absence from the 

 outer Labrador coast is difficult to explain. It appears to be a species 

 of wide salinity tolerance, perhaps especially well adapted to low 



