1881.] PROF. F. J. BELL ON THE GENUS ASTERIAS. 515 



Colour of the single specimen yellowish white, the suckers rather 

 darker. Presented in 1873, by Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys ; collected by 

 Capt. H. C. St. John, R.N., in the Japanese seas. 



AsTERiAS JAPONiCA, StimpsoH. (Plate XLVIII. figs. 6, 6a, Gh.) 

 As the description of this species, if ever published, must be very 

 difficult of access, and as it seems to be unknown to the bibliogra- 

 phers, I add the following notes, which will, I hope, enable students 

 to recognize it when they find it. I know of its existence only from 

 the presence in the British-Museum collection of a dried specimen 

 presented in 1861 by the Smithsonian Institution, and bearing their 

 label " Asterias japonica, Stm., I. of Jesso." 



General formula 2atc. 



Arms five, elongated, narrow, disk small ; adambulacral spines in 

 two rows ; madreporic plate small, rather obscure, anechinoplacid, 

 close to the edge of the rlisk ; both the abactinal and actinal surfaces 

 are rough with short slender spines, closely packed. The spines in 

 the row just outside the adambulacrals are blunter than any of the 

 rest ; their free end is broader than their base ; the spines of the next 

 row are also rather blunt ; beyond this there are two rows of more 

 slender spines; and beyond this fourth row there is a well-marked 

 line, in which lie the respiratory pores. The spines which extend 

 beyond this over the whole surface of the arm, and form something 

 like six rows on either side of its middle line, may be set singly or 

 in small clumps ; they are all short, slender, and rather sharp, and 

 are richly provided with pedicellariae. Respiratory pores occupy 

 the interspaces on the surface of the arm. 



A distinct median dorsal hue is apparent on some, though not on 

 all, of the arms of the specimen under description. 



-B = 55, ?-=7'5. Breadth of arms at base 10 milHm., close to 

 tip 3 millim. 



Colour of dried specimen umber-brown ; the dried ambulacral 

 suckers black. 



EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 

 Plate XLVII. 



Fig. 1. Asterias pMlippii, n. sp., abactinal surface, nat. size. 



1 a. Actinal surface, nat. size. 



2. A. inermis, n. sp., general view, nat. size. 



2 a. Actinal surface of ray, X 1^. 



3. A. verrilli, n. sp., general view of actinal surface. 



3 a. Part of abactinal surface, X 2. 



Plate XLVIII. 



4. A. spirahilis, n. sp., actinal surface of ray, Xlf. 

 6. A. rullcs/oni, n. sp., actinal surface, X 2. 



5 a. A. roUestoni, abactinal surface, X2. 



6. A. japonua, Stm., abactinal surface, XlJ. 



6 a. .(4. /a^owicfl, actinal surface, Xij. 



66. A. japonica ; some of the spines of the abactinal surface, 

 further magniSed. 



