28 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



On p. 179 is " Section e" of Asterias, Heliaster, defined thus : Body dis- 

 coidal, divided at the edge into numerous, short, tapering rays ; the series of 

 spines near the ambulacral series rather crowded, large and elongated. 



Asterias helianthus Lam. is given first, obviously as the type species, 

 and is described as having 33 or 34 " arms," which are " about a quarter 

 of the length of the width of the body." It is recorded from Guasco and 

 Valparaiso, Chili. Then follow Asterias Cumingii with " arms 30 or 31, 

 very short, not one-tenth as long as the diameter of the body," from 

 " Hood's Island, on rocks at spring tide, H. Cuming Esq.," and Asterias 

 multiradiata with "arms 22 or 24, cylindrical, elongated, tapering at the 

 ends, one-third longer than the diameter of the body," from "Hood's 

 Island, H. Cuming Esq." 



1840. Gervais, P. 



Asterie, Asterias (Actinoz) : in Dictionnaire Sciences Naturelles. 

 Supplement. Paris. 



On p. 469 A. helianthus Lamarck is assigned to Stellohia Nardo ; reference 

 is made to Gray's proposed section e (Heliaster) of the genus Asterias, 

 but curiously enough no mention is made of his proposed new species. 



1842. Muller, Johannes und Troschel, Franz Hermann. 



System der Asteriden. Braunschweig. 



On p. 18-19 is given Aster acanthion helianthus nob., including Asterias 

 helianthus Lamarck, Asterias Cumingii Gray and Asterias multiradiata Gray. 

 The two latter are dismissed with the brief statement that they " do not 

 appear to us to be different." The compound nature of the madreporite 

 is referred to, the size is said to be " up to one foot " and the native coast 

 is given as " Chili, Pacific Ocean." 



1843. Muller, Johannes. 



Uber den Ban des Pentacrinus caput Medusae. Berlin. 



Abschnitt 8. Ueber die Unterschiede des Baues der Crinoideen und 

 Asteriden, p. 61-68. 



On p. 64 Asteracanthion Helianthus Lam. is listed and on p. 67, the com- 

 pound nature of the madreporite is mentioned. 



1843. Muller, J. und Troschel, F. H. 



Neue Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Asteriden. Arch. f. Naturg. 

 Jahrgang 9, 1, p. 113-131. Berlin. 



On p. 128 Asteracanthion helianthus is listed among starfishes from the 

 west coast of South America. 



1854. Gay, Claudio. 



Historia fisica y politica de Chili, etc. 26 vols. Zoologia. 8. Paris. 

 Santiago. 



On p. 425 is a good account of the " Estrella del Mar," Asteracanthion 

 helianthus. It is said to have 28-39 rays and to occur at Valparaiso and 

 elsewhere on the coast of Chili. 



