ME. H. TAEQUHAE ON NEW ZEALAND ECHINODEEMS. 197 



By the examination of living individuals I have recently con- 

 firmed my observation that New Zealand specimens, at any rate, 

 have but one papula to each papular area, or occasionally two — 

 a large one and a small one. The character and arrangement of 

 the plates and their armature are also much the same as in the 

 genus Tarsaster. As, however, Mr. Sladen, who established the 

 genus Tarsaster, has provisionally placed this species in the genus 

 SficJiaster, I leave it there for the present. 



Mr. Suter informs me that Prof. Perrier has recently pub- 

 lished a paper on the ' Travailleur ' and 'Talisman' Echino- 

 derms, in which he makes proposals for the subdivision of the 

 genus Siichaster ; but unfortunately I have not seen the paper. 

 I have examined a large series of specimens, some of which were 

 collected by Mr. Lukins at Nelson, and others by Mr. Suter at 

 ■ Sumner and Auckland, and they show clearly that transverse 

 division is characteristic of this species. 



Stichastee Suteei, Loriol. 



This species was described by M. de Loriol (Ann. Mus. d'Hist. 

 Nat. de Greueve, 1894, p. 477), from specimens sent to the Geneva 

 Museum by Mr. Suter of Christchurch. When I described the 

 .same species under the name Sticliaster littoralis, Trans. N. Z. 

 Inst. vol. xxvii. p. 206, M. de Loriol's paper had not reached 

 New Zealand, and I did not know that any specimens had been 

 sent out of the Colony. There is a difference in the descrip- 

 tions which requires a word of explanation. 



The colour of M. de Loriol's specimens is bright reddish 

 orange, while I have described the species as dark grey. Living 

 individuals are blackish grey; but when placed in spirit this 

 colour rapidly changes to reddish orange. If they are only 

 allowed to remain in the spirit a short time and then dried, 

 the reddish colour is retained ; but if they are kept longer in 

 -spirit it soon fades, and the specimens become uniform yellowish 

 brown. A similar change of colour occurs in a number of 

 other species — Stichaster polyplax, Asterias calamaria, and As- 

 terias scabra. 



I have a specimen of this species collected by Mr. Danby 

 ^t The Snares. It differs from those obtained on the mainland 

 in the shape of the rays, which are rather longer and taper rapidly 

 to a pointed extremity, 



14* 



