Mr. W. K. Fisher on AsteroiJea. 1G9 



The only species in the British Museum, and hence formally 

 listed, is D. reevesii, which is automatically the type. The 

 reference to D. longimana is casual, an " aside " such as Gray 

 frequently indulged in — as, for example, on the same pao-e 

 under Stellaster. Here we jfind " 1. Stellaster Childreni,^'' 

 followed by " See a. Asterias equestris, Retz. . . h. Stellaster 

 gracilis, Mohiusy We know that the first species is the 

 type, since the genus was described, with only one species, 

 in 1840. Gray naturally chose a species with which he was 

 personally acquainted. 



The following observations are pertinent in judging the 

 merits of this case: — 



1. A species doubtfully referred to a genus cannot subse- 

 quently be made its type, especially in place of a figured or 

 described species upon which the generic name appears to be 

 based {D. reevesii). 



2. Tlie first reviser of a genus cannot revise the genus 

 before it is described. In other words, what von Martens in 

 1865 did with Goniodlscus capella does not have a revisional 

 effect on Dorigona reevesii (the same species) in 186G. 

 Whoever comes after Gray must choose the type o£ Dorigona 

 upon the data submitted by Gray, not upon what von Martens 

 thought or did before Gray's genus was published. Tliis 

 answers Dr. Clark's statement that D. reevesii is invalidated 

 for the type-species of Dorigona by iiaving already been 

 made the type of Ogmaster. 



3. Since Sladen eliminated D. longimana by. making it the 

 type of Iconaster, he became the first reviser, and automati- 

 cally fixed the type of Dorigona as D. reevesii. No one is ab 

 liberty to change this ty[)e. The type of Dorigona is 

 D. reevesii, first, because it is the only species listed formally 

 " without doubt," and, second, because the first reviser so 

 fixed it by the simple process of removing the second species 

 from the genus. 



Dorigona is therefore a straight synonym of Ogmaster^ and 

 Iconaster is a tenable name for Astrogonium lonjimaniun. 

 Dr. David Starr Jordan concurs in this view. 



Lonchotaster and Dipsacaster. — Dr. H. L. Clark has 

 recently described (loc. cit. p. 30) a large Astropectinid as 

 Loncliotaster magnijicus, which almost unquestionably belongs 

 to Dipsacaster and is related to D. imperialism Fisher (Philip- 

 pines), D. sladeni, Alcock (Andaman Sea), and D. grandis- 

 simusj Goto (Japan). The type of Lonchotaster has never 

 been fixed. The genus dates from Sladen, ' Challenger ' 



Ann. & Mag. K Hist. Scr. 8. Vol. xx. 12 



