66 Miscellaneous. 
As I have indicated elsewhere, striated muscular fibre cannot 
suffice to characterize either mesoderm, since, in the Tunicata, this ~ 
element is met with at the same time in the tail of the tadpole and 
in the cardiac muscular layer (Perophora, Phallusia, Ciona).— 
Comptes Rendus, June 6, 1881, p. 1350. 
North-Atlantic Echinodermata. 
By MM. D. C. Danietssen and J. Korzn. 
MM. Danielssen and Koren describe some Starfishes collected in 
the late Norwegian expedition for the exploration of the North 
Atlantic. 
1, Asterias spitsbergensis is a new species, of which several speci- 
mens were taken in Magdalena Bay, Spitzbergen, at a depth of 
61 fathoms, on a bottom of dark grey clay, at a temperature of 
2°-1 C. (=35°8 F.). At the first glance it resembles Stichaster 
roscus ; and in the structure of the dermal skeleton it presents cha- 
racters approaching both Stichaster and Asterias, so that the authors 
were in some doubt to which of these genera it should be referred. 
Asterias spitsbergensis has five arms: and the smaller is to the 
greater radius as 1:44. The arms are rather thick, not much con- 
stricted towards the base, somewhat obtuse at the apex, very con- 
vex on the back and sides, where they are beset with spines, which 
form regular longitudinal series on the sides, and irregular trans- 
verse rows on the back. Between the spines, both on the disk and 
arms, the skin is naked and occupied by tentacular pores. The 
lower surface is flat. The spines on the disk are larger and smaller; 
in the middle they are grouped circularly round the central anal 
aperture. The madreporic plate is oblong, very small, placed imme- 
diately above the angle of the arms, immersed in the skin and sur- 
rounded with spines. Ambulacral furrows bounded by three rows of 
strong spines, one turned in towards the furrow, another turned 
outwards, while the middle row has fewer spines, the ambulacral 
plates bearing alternately two and three. Outside the outer row is 
another series of spines, nearly as large as those of the furrow. 
These are surrounded by pedicellariz on the outside of the base, 
while the innermost row has them on the inside; and beyond the 
outer row, more towards the dorsal surface, there are two rows of 
small spines also surrounded by pedicellarie: The disk has no 
pedicellariz ; but the arms are covered with such organs of different 
forms. Towards the ambulacral furrows the calcareous pieces of the 
dermal skeleton become more regular in form and arrangement than 
elsewhere; they form two distinct longitudinal rows, and are im- 
bricated. Those of the inner row are triangular, and have their 
inner margin in contact with two ambulacral and two adambulacral 
plates; their outer surface bears the spines forming the first row 
outside the furrow. They may be regarded as ventral marginal 
plates. The outer row are nearly T-shaped ; their broad part is in 
contact with the ventral marginal plates, which they partly cover. 
They may be regarded as dorsal marginal plates, and bear two 
