128 VERRILL 



Dr. R. Rathbun has furnished, for reproduction here (pi. xxv, 

 figs- 7, 8), photographs of the type, now in the U. S. National 

 Museum. 



San Francisco, California, to Sitka. A common littoral and shal- 

 low-water species. At Monterey it occurs associated with L. aqualis. 



I have also studied numerous specimens from Puget Sound and 

 Queen Charlotte Islands, sent by the Geological Survey of Canada, 



This species has often been confounded with L. aqualis in col- 

 lections. Though closely related, it can be distinguished by its dif- 

 ferent spinulation and distinct form of pedicellariae. 



LEPTASTERIAS ^QUALIS (Stimpson). 



Plate xvi, figure 8; plate xvm, figures i, 2; plate xxv, figures 5, 6 (type) ; 

 plate LVI, figure 5 (var.). 



Asterias aqualis STIMPSON, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vm, p. 273, 1862. 

 Verrill, op. cit, p. 327, 1867. 



As usually found, this is a small, six-rayed species. Disk small; 

 rays rather short. Dorsal spines small, clavate or capitate, sulcate, 

 and rough or spinulose at tip, very numerous, covering the whole 

 upper surface nearly evenly, but sometimes forming indistinct median 

 radial rows. A group or row of spines stands on each of the ossicles, 

 which are small and numerous; they are rather closely imbricated, 

 but leave papular areas, often as wide as the ossicles. Median 

 ossicles larger, with rounded lobes, the proximal lobe longer and 

 broader, imbricated. Marginal and actinal spines more elongated, 

 forming several longitudinal rows, slender, subacute. Papular areas, 

 on the upper side, form longitudinal rows ; the papulae stand singly or 

 sometimes two or three together. 



A good characteristic specimen of the California form (var. 

 aqualis) from Monterey, the type locality, has the radii 6.5 mm. and 

 20 mm. ; ratio, about 1 : 3.5. The rays are round and plump, taper- 

 ing gradually. 



The dorsal spines are very numerous, small, nearly equal and 

 even, mostly capitate or clavate, with sulcate tips; they stand in 

 groups of three to eight or more. Some of the groups are circular 

 with a central spine, but others surround the papular pores, which 

 have an evident longitudinal arrangement. The upper marginal 

 plates form a crowded row, two to four spines standing together on 

 most of the plates, while one or two usually stand on the descend- 

 ing lobe or connecting ossicle, proximally ; these spines are slightly 

 longer than the dorsals, and mostly bent upward, but are otherwise 



