SHALLOW-WATER STARFISHES 245 



twenty or more smaller actinal spinules, standing irregularly in 

 about three transverse rows on each peractinal plate. Farther out 

 they rapidly decrease in number and disappear at about the middle 

 of the free part of the ray. Outside these there is a conspicuous row 

 of inferomarginal pseudopaxillae, distinctly larger than the others. 

 Each of these plates bears about thirty to forty small, slender, rough, 

 subacute spinules, in three or four divergent rows. The actinal 

 interradial plates bear clusters of spinules (pseudopaxillae) similar to 

 those of the lower marginals, but a little smaller and more com- 

 pressed, and mostly webbed together laterally. They are radially 

 arranged and rather numerous, forming about sixteen to twenty 

 rows, covering a rather large acute-triangular interradial area. 



The superomarginal groups are much smaller, but prominent and 

 unequal in size; the largest are ovate or oblong-ovate, bearing 

 twenty to thirty small acute spinules in about three or four divergent 

 rows. They are close to the inferomarginal ones and alternate with 

 them. The dorsal pseudopaxillae are rather small and unequal in 

 size ; the larger are oblong-elliptical ; the smaller oval or round ; all 

 are covered with minute divergent spinules of nearly uniform 

 length. The smaller plates bear about seven to nine spinules; the 

 larger fifteen to twenty or more. When expanded they are stellate 

 and webbed together, with two or three in the middle. Madreporic 

 plate large and irregular, with somewhat enlarged and prominent 

 pseudopaxillae surrounding it. The papulae are large and numerous ; 

 they mostly stand singly or two together in the interspaces between 

 the plates. 



Greatest diameter, 15 inches, or 382 mm. Radii of disk, 3 to 3.5 

 inches, or 76 mm. to 89 mm. Radii of rays, 7 to 7.5 inches, or 

 178 mm. to 190 mm. Breadth of rays, at base 2 inches, or 51 mm. 



Another very similar specimen from the Fishing Banks off Nova 

 Scotia (lot 820) has nine rays. Its dimensions are as follows: 



Greatest diameter, 13.50 inches, or 344 mm. Radii of disk, 2.75 

 to 3 inches, or 70 mm. to 76 mm. Radii of rays, 6.50 to 6.75 inches, 

 or 166 mm. to 174 mm. Breadth of rays at base, 1.75 inches, or 

 44 mm. Ratios of radii, about i : 2.5. 



The dorsal pseudopaxillae are so close that when the spinules are 

 fully spread out or naturally expanded in the stellate and webbed 

 condition, they nearly or quite touch each other, leaving room only 

 for the mostly solitary papulae between them. They are nearly uni- 

 form in character over the disk and rays, though variable in size. 

 On the sides of the rays proximally they are arranged pretty 



