no. 1827. NEW a EN ERA OF STARFISHES— FISHER. 419 



is a cluster of teeth. Marginals 7 or 8, distally with flat side to furrow, 

 but at inner end of plate more knife-shaped and with edge thereto. 



Madreporic body exposed, medium-sized, with fine radiating striae. 

 The ridges near center bear low tubercular prominences. It is situated 

 about one-third R from margin. 



Gonads disposed in independent tufts attached to the abactinal 

 integument on either side of the median radial area and extending to 

 end of ray. Ampulla? strongly two-lobed. Tube feet pointed, with 

 deposits at the tip in the form of small, simple, straight, curved, or 

 irregular rods. Superambulacral plates well developed. 



Type-locality. — Station 5420, between Cebu and Bohol, 127 fathoms. 



Type.— Cat. No. 28656, U.S.N.M. 



Remarks. — The genera Moiraster, Tethyaster, Sideriaster, and 

 Anthosticte agree in having unarmed superomarginals, inferomargin- 

 als with a few small enlarged spines, naked madreporite, large actinal 

 interradial areas, and intermediate plates far along ray, marginal and 

 actinal fascioles, true paxillae, stellate abactinal plates, an astropecti- 

 noid adambulacral armature, and probably also in having the single 

 papulae uninterrupted all over the dorsal surface. The first two seem 

 to be a little more closely related than either is to the last two, while 

 Sideriaster and Anthosticte are possibly also nearly related. Unfor- 

 tunately there is but one species in each genus and it is difficult to 

 ascertain what characters are of generic importance. Applying the 

 standards used in other and larger genera, Anthosticte differs from 

 Tethyaster chiefly in having very deep marginal fascioles, gonads to 

 the end of the ray, no midradial series of enlarged paxillse, and taller, 

 more delicate paxillse. The last is probably of no generic importance, 

 but may be. Its special points of agreement in addition to the char- 

 acters Msted above are the deposits in the tube feet (not recorded for 

 Moiraster and Sideriaster) and shallow interadambulacral fascioles. 



Anthosticte differs from Sideriaster Verrill in having very deep 

 marginal fascioles, shallow interadambulacral fascioles, no distally 

 enlarged subambulacral spine. Neither the deposits in the tube feet 

 nor the gonads of Sideriaster are described — one of the unfortunate 

 results of drying types. The fascioles between the adambulacral 

 plates, winch I examined in the type-specimen, form one of the 

 most striking features of the genus. They are densely lined with 

 small delicate spinelets, and are therefore similar to marginal fas- 

 cioles. Such is not the case in Anthosticte, Tethyaster, or Moiraster. 



The distribution of gonads and deposits of tube feet are unknown 

 in Moiraster. Kcehler describes the marginal fascioles as "peu pro- 

 fonds" while Sladen says they are deep, but the discrepancy is only 

 apparent, for Sladen knew no genera with very deep fascioles, such 

 as Dipsacaster. Anthosticte differs from Moiraster in respect to the 

 marginal fascioles, and the thin elevated intervening ridges of the 

 marginal plates. The inferomarginal and actinal spinelets of Antho- 



