SHALLOW- WATER STARFISHES 21$ 



remarks on this subject under Leptasterias will no doubt apply just 

 as well to Henricia, for the young are carried in the same way. 

 (See pp. 116, 117, above.) 



Consequently, it is not at all surprising that numerous more or less 

 localized varieties of Henricia should be found on the vast extent of 

 coast-line from Puget Sound to the Arctic Ocean. The wonder 

 rather is that any of the species or varieties should preserve their 

 essential characters, as several of them do, over such extensive 

 regions as the whole coast-line from Vancouver Island to the Aleutian 

 Islands, for example, or even from California to Unalaska. 



HENRICIA LEVIUSCULA (Stimpson) Fisher. 



Plate xii, figures 5, 6; plate xin, figures i, 2; plate LXXXVIII, figures i, la, 



2-2C (varieties). 



Linckia leviuscula STIMPSON, Journ. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vi, p. 529 [p. 89], 



1857- 



Cribrella leviuscula VERRILL, Trans. Conn. Acad., i, p. 326, 1867. Sladen, Voy. 

 Challenger, xxx, pp. 542, 806 (distribution only). Ives, Proc. Acad. Nat 

 Sci. Philadelphia, 1889, p. 169 (distribution only). De Loriol, Mem. Soc. 

 Phys. Nat. Geneve, xxxn, No. 9, p. 14, pi. n, figs. 2-2c, 1897 (description 

 only). Clark, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., xxix, p. 327, 1901 (varieties). 



Henricia leviuscula FISHER, 1910, p. 570; I9H&, p. 280, pi. LXIX, figs, i, 2; pi. 



LXX, figs. I, 2J pi. LXXI, figs. 2, 3J pi. CXI, fig. 6. 



Rays five, long and terete, gradually tapered. Disk rather small. 

 Radii of an average dry specimen, 8 mm. and 42 mm. ; ratio, about 

 i : 5.25. Breadth of ray at base, 9 mm. A larger specimen has the 

 radii 12 mm. and 75 mm. ; ratio, i : 6.25. It grows much larger 

 than this. One example from Alaska has the radii 15 mm. and 

 85 mm. Many specimens have more slender rays, others have them 

 stouter than those given. 



The dorsal ossicles are thick and pretty closely united in a fine- 

 meshed reticulation, leaving very small papular spaces between 

 them ; the papulae are mostly isolated in small specimens, but three to 

 five together in large ones. The ossicles are convex, unequal, 

 rounded, elliptical, curved lunate, or short cordate. The convex 

 spinulose surface is often crescent-shaped. The clusters of spinules 

 are usually densely crowded, varying much in size and form, as do 

 the ossicles; but the greater number in the typical variety are 

 rounded, or short elliptical, with the longer axis transverse to the 

 rays or often oblique. 



The spinules are very small, short, nearly even, usually with 

 minutely spinulose tips. The two marginal and the peractinal rows 



