260 Miscellaneous. 



meut of the starfishes, the important question of the synonymy has 

 engaged all my attention ; and in this also I have had to make many 

 rectifications. The direct comparison of the types of Lamarck, 

 Miiller and Troschel, Duchassaiiig, and Michelin with Gray's types, 

 which were studied in London, and those which Dr. Liitken was 

 kind enough to send to me, the examination of the specimens recently 

 hrought from New Zealand by M. Filhol, and which have been iden- 

 tified with Capt. Sutton's types, and the study of the specimens 

 ticketed by various American Museums which I found in London 

 and Paris, and in the collection of M. Cotteau at Auxerre, have led 

 me to the following conclusions. 



Asterias striata, Lam., which every one, on the faith of Miiller 

 and Troschel, regarded as an Asteracanthion, does not even belong 

 to the family Asteriadae, of which that genus forms part, and must 

 constitute a distinct genus of the Echinasterid8e( F"rt?wfs^t'r,gen. nov.). 



Asterias calamaria, Gray, and C'oseinasterias muricata, Yerrill, are 

 identical. Asterias eclmiopliora , A. clavigera, and A. exigua of 

 Lamarck have been desci'ibed under new names, which must be sup- 

 pressed. Ophidiaster Leachii, Gray, and Leiaster coriaceus, Peters, 

 are identical. This is also the case with 0. pyramiclatus. Gray, and 

 0. porosissimus, Liitken; 0. cylindricus, Lam., and 0. asperulus, 

 Liitk. ; 0. pnsilhis, Miill. & Tr., and 0. granifer, Liitk. ; LincJcia 

 jxtcijica, Gray, and L. nicobarica, Liitk. ; Asterina minuta, Gray, and 

 A. folium, Liitk. ; A. pentagom(s, Miill. & Tr., and A. Kratisii, Gray ; 

 and Astropecten ariicidatus, Say, and A. dubiv.s, Gray. 



Asteropsis pidvillus and A. ctenacantha of Miiller and Troschel are 

 only the same species in diff'erent states of preservation. "We must also 

 regard as identical: — 1. LincMa Guildingii, Gray, Scgtaster stella, 

 Duch., and Linckia ornitliopus, Val. ; 2. Gomophia cegyptiaca, Gray, 

 Scy taster zodiacalis, Miill. & Tr., and Oreaster Desjardinsii, Mich. ; 

 3. Astropecten armatus, Miill. & Tr., A. polyaeanthns, Miill. & Tr., 

 A. hystrix, Val., and A. Wappa, Yal. ; 4. A. armatus, Gray, A. 

 erinaceus. Gray, and A. CErstedii, Liitk. ; 5. A. duplicatus, Gray, A. 

 Valenciennii, Miill. & Tr., and A. variahilis, Liitk. ; 6. Asteriscus 

 minutus, Miill. & Tr., A. marginatus, Val., and A. stellifera, Mobius. 



On the other hand. Dr. Liitken believed that Asterias canariensis, 

 D'Orb., was identical with Gluntaster longipcs, Eetz.,; but it is cer- 

 tainly a distinct species, which, indeed, is Narcissia teneriffcB of Gray. 

 It is also in error that Von Martens refers Astropecten mauritianus. 

 Gray, to ArcJiaster angulattis, Miill. & Tr. Gray's species is certainly 

 an Astropecten allied to A. scoparius, Val. Nectria oceUifera, Gray, 

 is not the same as A. ocelli fera. Lam. ; Astrogonium austrcde, Miill. 

 & Tr., is not, as authors have supposed, the Tosia cmstralis of Gray, 

 but his Tosia aurata ; and it is A. geometricum, Miill. & Tr., that 

 represents Tosia aiistrcdis. The ^sft'r/.sn/s figured by Savignj^ is not, 

 as stated, A. verrnculatiis. Mull, tfe Tr., but A. cepheus, Val., which 

 itself appears to be the true A. Burtonii, Gray. The remarkable 

 animal described by Hutton under the name of Pteraster inJJatus is 

 not a Pteraster, but a Pcdmipcs. A. ohtusangula, Lam., has been 

 wrongly referred by Miiller and Troschel to Oreaster ; I retain for it 

 the name of Goniaster. Gymnasferias inerniis, Gray, is only a 



