HOLOTHURIOIDEA, ASTEROlDEA, AND ECHINOIDEA 3S5 



Valparaiso 1828, and two specimens, originating from Juan Fernandez (coll. 

 Voyage de 1' Astrolabe 1 841, Hombron et Jacquinot).^ 



The name Asteriscus calcaratus was first introduced by VALENCIENNES 

 (a) but only as a manuscript-name, and he did not give any description of 

 the species. It later became apparent that VALENCIENNES' Asteriscus calcaratus 

 covered several species which are now separated. Gay (b) was the first to 

 publish the name. I have, however, not been able to get hold of this work 

 myself, as it is not found in the libraries of Copenhagen, and, therefore, do 

 not know what Gay wrote about Asteriscus calcaratus, but, as far as I can 

 judge from the following literature (Philippi (i) and Perrier (3) and (5)) 

 Gay's description was not satisfactory. 



In 1869 Perrier (3) gave a description of Asterina calcarata and as 

 locality stated only Valparaiso. Perrier does not give any informations here 

 concerning previous literature or other localities, nor does he give the name 

 of the collectors. It is, therefore, rather difficult to know whether the descrip- 

 tion refers both to the specimens from Valparaiso, collected by Gay and to 

 those from Juan Fernandez (the types of VALENCIENNES) — they were all in 

 the Museum in Paris, at any rate Perrier later (5) writes: » VALENCIENNES a 

 confondu sous ce nom plusieurs especes qu'il importe de distinguer». This is 

 a proof that Perrier has known the specimens of VALENCIENNES, and in 

 his list of literature we also find: 



18. Asteriscus calcaratus Val. (pars.) .... Collection du Museum. 

 Manuscrit, 



But even if Perrier as locality only states » Valparaiso M. Gay i828» I 

 think it most probable that the description which he gave in 1869 (3) holds 

 good for the specimens from Valparaiso, collected by Gay, as well as for the 

 specimens from Juan Fernandez, and for the specimens among the ■>) Asteriscus 

 calcaratus^ of VALENCIENNES which are identical with the present Asterina 

 calcarata. 



Perrier is, however, not quite correct in his description of the spines 

 of the adambulacral plates when he writes: »les piquants du sillon ambulacraire 

 sont sur un seul rang; ils sont tres greles, il y en a deux sur chaque plaque ». 

 It namely has turned out that the type-specimens from Valparaiso and Juan 

 Fernandez — which Dr. GERMAIN has examined for me regarding this question 

 — as well as the specimens from Juan Fernandez which I have examined 

 myself generally all have two spines on each adambulacral plate, but in each 

 specimen some of the proximal plates are armed with three spines (Fig. 2), 

 though the plates with three spines are always fewer in number than those 

 with two spines. The statement in Perrier's description, therefore, ought to 

 have been termed as follows: »il y en a deux et parfois trois sur chaque 

 plaque». 



In 1896 Meissner (9) established a variety Selkirki of A. calcarata, 

 finding his specimens to differ from the description of A. calcarata, given by 

 Perrier, in having 3 adambulacral spines, though not on all the plates. As 



* For this and the following informations concerning the types of Asterina calcarata in 

 Museum d'Histoire naturelle de Paris I am indebted to Dr. Louis Germain, and beg to express 

 my most cordial thanks for his valuable assistance. 



25 — jai8. The Nat. Hist, of Juan Fernandez and Easter Isl. Vol. III. 



