144 VERRILL 



rows, and without the reticulations, generally characteristic of 

 epichlora. The inferomarginal and actinal spines are much longer 

 than in the latter. The ambulacral grooves and pores, the oral 

 spines, and the adambulacral spines are also different, so that the 

 under surface, as well as the dorsal, differs decidedly in appearance 

 from any of the recognized forms of epichlora, all of which are 

 much alike beneath, however much the dorsal spines may vary. The 

 pedicellariae also appear to be peculiar. 



It more nearly resembles some of the undoubted young of 

 A. acervata, but the lateral and ventral spines are all longer and more 

 slender. It may not be a Leptasterias. Genital pores not observed. 



LEPTASTERIAS OBTECTA Verrill, sp. nov. 



Rays five, rather short and rapidly tapered to slender tips. Radii, 

 6 mm. and 25 mm. ; ratio, 1 : 4.25. 



Whole surface closely covered with minute, nearly equal, short, 

 rough-tipped spinules, surrounded with large, dense wreaths of 

 unusually large, blunt-ovate minor pedicellariae, so abundant as to 

 cover the spaces between the spines and largely conceal the spines, 

 except the tips, thus giving the surface a smoothish appearance like 

 Henricia. 



The dorsal ossicles are very numerous, small, irregularly reticu- 

 lated, leaving many small, irregular papular areas ; the lateral supra- 

 marginal areas are not tansversely elongated, as in C. cribraria. The 

 dorsal spinules stand in small irregular clusters of three to six or 

 more; the ossicles are without much tendency to form transverse 

 rows. Carinals not easily distinguished. 



Marginal plates small and quite concealed by the abundant pedicel- 

 lariae; those in each row usually bear two small spines, sometimes 

 three, a little longer than the dorsals. Proximally there is a short 

 row of intermarginals and of interactinals, each bearing one small 

 spine, partly covered with pedicellariae. Adambulacrals dipla- 

 canthid, the spines small, slender, slightly clavate; adorals longer. 

 The minor pedicellariae have bases about as broad as the spines ; the 

 blades are spatulate and rounded at the tips. The dorsal spinules 

 are mostly four to six times as long as broad ; tips are microscopic- 

 ally thorny. Genital pores and reproduction unknown. 



Off Kings Island, Bering Sea, in seventeen fathoms. (Coll. Mus. 

 Comp. Zool., No. 1208; one dry.) 



