HOLOTHURIOIDEA, ASTEROIDEA, AND ECHINOIDEA 385 
Valparaiso 1828, and two specimens, originating from Juan Fernandez (coll. 
Voyage de 1|’Astrolabe 1841, 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’ Asveriscus 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 As/eriscus calcaratus, but, as far as I can 
judge from the following literature (PHILIPPI (1) 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 espéces 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 Muséum. 
Manuscrit. 
But even if PERRIER as locality only states »Valparaiso M. Gay 1828» 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 »Asv¢erzscus 
calcaratus» of VALENCIENNES which are identical with the present Astevzna 
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 trés gréles, il y en a dewx 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 ¢/ree 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 (g) established a variety Se/kirke 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 
1 For this and the following informations concerning the types of As/erina 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 — 221s. The Nat. Hist. of Juan Fernandez and Easter Isl. Vol. TTT: 
