REVISION OF PALEOZOIC STELLEROIDEA. 201 



turned somewhat more obliquely along the food groove. At the 

 edges of these very broad ambulacral areas the adambulacral plates 

 project in a single row on each margin, as rounded nubs or thickened 

 elongated ridges, from each of which project not less than two and 

 probably three spines. In no place is the aboral surface of the starfish 

 presented, but the madrepore plate is distinctly shown in one of the 

 axillae, indicating its ambulacral position. This plate is round, con- 

 vex, obscurely radiopunctate, and somewhat ridged. The oral appara- 

 tus is indicated by thickened plates at the axillae, but their structure 

 in detail can not be made out. The example serving as the type of this 

 species has a radial length from center of mouth to tip of longest arm 

 of 54 mm." 



Formation and locality. From the Devonic of Ponta Grossa, 

 Brazil. 



Genus LORIOLASTER Sturtz. 



Loriolaster STURTZ, Palaeontographica, vol. 32, 1886, p. 94, pi. 12, figs. 3, 3a, 4; 

 pi. 13, figs. 1, la, 2, 2a; vol. 36, 1890, p. 208, pi. 26, figs. 36, 4a; Verh. naturh. 

 Ver. preuss. Rheinl., etc., vol. 50, 1893, pp. 47, 63. 



Generic description. Animal large, five-rayed, widely pentagonal, 

 with very large interbrachial arcs entirely inclosing the rays. No 

 marginal plates and seemingly with a parchment-like integument on 

 the abac tin al side and in the large interbrachial areas. The plates 

 seen on the abactinal side resemble the aspect of the actinal plates. 



Madreporite unknown. 



Ambulacral plates alternating, numerous, considerably wider than 

 long, with the podial openings indeterminate. 



Adambulacrals about as numerous as the ambulacrals, sickle- 

 shaped, greatly elongated laterally and bearing club-shaped carinse 

 (the regular arrangement of the latter seems to preclude their being 

 articulating spines) which have on their outer lateral ends needle-like 

 spines. 



Oral armature pieces large, described as ambulacral. 



The only known species is L. mirdbilis Sturtz (same citations as 

 above), from the Lower Devonic of Bundenbach, Germany. It is 

 not a common species. 



Cat. No. 59380, U.S.N.M. 



Remarks. All of the Bundenbach material has been subjected to 

 great pressure so that nearly all of the finer details have been obliter- 

 ated and obscured by the adhering slate. However, L. mirabilis 

 can not be confounded with any of the associated species because of 

 the constant absence of the marginal plates and the smooth abactinal 

 and interbrachial membrane. The latter may have been made up of 

 very small calcareous pieces now obliterated by the great pressure to 

 which these fossils have been subjected. Also see Cheiropteraster. 



