288 VERRILL 



Gray, in his later works, referred to Hosea several additional 

 species, which were described under Goniodiscus by MuUer and 

 Troschel. 



The restriction of Goniodiscus to this residual group of species by 

 Perrier, 1875, was indefensible as well as undesirable. This group 

 of species,^ as thus restricted, was characterized by having the 

 abactinal radial plates " stellate," or polygonal with notched sides, 

 and by small, narrow, forceps-like pedicellarise, usually scarcely 

 larger than the granules, and much like those of Tosia. 



But if the type is a young Culcita, as stated by Clark, the name is 

 obsolete. At least one species (Anthenea granulifera Gray), re- 

 ferred to Goniodiscus by Perrier, who described the figured type, 

 should probably be generically separated, for it has short valvular 

 pedicellariae. 



The above discussion was written almost exactly in its present 

 form in 1904, and was an extension of the notes on the same subject 

 published by the writer in 1899. (Revision of Genera and Species 

 of Starfishes.) 



Professor Fisher (1911&, pp. 163-169) has since discussed the 

 same subject in much the same way. His conclusions are so closely 

 in accord with my own that it might seem superfluous to print my 

 results here. It is, perhaps, useful to do so, on the principle that the 

 testimony of two is better than that of one. In this case, also. Eh-. 

 Fisher has been able to study the same types of Perrier that I had 

 previously studied, in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, which 

 adds to the value of the results. 



Another good reason for repeating these discussions is the fact 

 that the prestige of the great work of Sladen and the several impor- 

 tant works of Perrier has caused the adoption of untenable nomen- 

 clature, even up to the present time, especially by several European 

 writers. 



In a very recent work (op. cit., 1912) Ludwig has very fully and 

 satisfactorily discussed the genera Pentagonaster Gray and Tosia 

 Gray, retained in the same sense as by me, in 1899, and by Fisher in 

 1911. 



* This group has recently (1906) been renamed Goniodiscidcs by Plsher. 

 Type G. seba (Miiller and Troschel), non Gray. He properly rejected 

 Goniodiscus, because it was essentially a synonym of Gray's genera. In my 

 remarks on this group (1899, p. 149), the type was inadvertently stated as 

 cuspidatus, instead of sebo". But Dr. H. L. Clark has shown that seba: is 

 only a young Culcita. 



