226 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I44 



ambulacrum III is different from the others. They therefore con- 

 sider Passalaster a synonym of Claviaster. 



Genus CLYPEANTHUS Cotteau 



Clypeanthus Cotteau, 1894. Assoc. Franc. Avanc. Sci., Congr. Besancon, vol. 22, 

 p. 354. Type species by monotypy, Toxaster pentagonalis Fraas. 



Remarks. — I was unable to find any specimens of the type species 

 and only species known of this genus. Cotteau's figures do not show 

 many of the important characters of the test such as the apical 

 system, phyllodes, or shape of peristome. Having a reduced petal 

 III and an inframarginal periproct, this genus resembles Gentilia and 

 may be synonymous with it, but without seeing any specimens, it 

 seems best to place the genus in incertae sedis. 



Genus ECHINANTHUS Leske 



Echinanthus Leske, 1778. Klein's Nat. disp. ech., p. 121. Type species herein 

 designated, Echinanthus ovatus Leske (op. cit., p. 127, pi. 20, figs, c, d). 



Remarks. — There has been considerable controversy over the genus 

 Echinanthus. Mortensen (1948, pp. 240-243) credited Echinanthus 

 to Breynius (1732), and chose to ignore Leske's (1778) use of the 

 name. As Breynius is pre-Linnean, and Leske was the first post- 

 Linnean author to use Echinanthus, the genus must be credited to 

 Leske, and one of the four species he referred to this genus must be 

 considered as its type species. Two of these species, Echinanthus 

 humilis and Echinanthus altus, can be referred definitely to Clypeas- 

 ter, and a third, Echinanthus orbiculatus, to Pygurus. Since Echinan- 

 thus has priority over both of these genera, the selecting of one of 

 these three species as the type species of Echinanthus would make 

 Clypeaster or Pygurus a synonym of Echinanthus. Such action 

 would create considerable confusion. The fourth species, Echinan- 

 thus ovatus, has long been considered the type species of Echino- 

 lampas. However, it is not clear from Leske's figure that his speci- 

 men represents the species which is now considered as Echinolampas 

 ovatus. Because of this uncertainty, it seems best to restrict Echinan- 

 thus ovatus to Leske's specimen (now lost), and designate it as the 

 type species of Echinanthus. By this action the genera Pygurus, 

 Clypeaster, and Echinolampas remain valid. Leske's figure of E. 

 ovatus is so poor that it is not possible to know most of the generic 

 characters of the species, and because of this the genus Echinanthus 

 is referred to incertae sedis. 



