NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 133 



Order III. ASTEROLDEA. 



Family. ASTROPE CTENID^ . 



Genus. ASTROPECTEN, (Linck.) 



1. Astropecten irregularis (Pennant). Butthorn. 



Asterias irregularis, Pennant. Brit. Zool., Vol. IV., p. 

 61. PI. 57. 



Asterias aurantica, Miiller. Zool. Dan. III., p. 3. PI. 

 LXXXIII. (but not A. aurantiaca of Linnaeus.) 



Asterias aurantiaca, Forbes. Brit. Starfishes (1541). 



Astropecten Mullen, Miiller and Troschel. Weigmann's 

 Archiv., 1844, X., p. 181. 



Deep water, frequent, J. A. Holy Island, Dunstanborougb, 

 Cullercoats, Whitburn, Seabam, G. H. 



This species appears to be generally distributed along our 

 coast, being frequently brought up by the dredge and fishing 

 lines from moderately deep water (twenty to thirty fathoms). It 

 is a handsome form, remarkable for the regularity and beauty 

 of its species. Mr. G. S. Brady obtained two monstrosities ; in 

 each specimen one of the rays, at about a third of the distance 

 from the tip, is bifurcated, each portion presenting all the regu- 

 larity of the other rays : one of these specimens measures four 

 inches from tip to tip, an unsually large size for this coast. Mr. 

 Brady obtained these varieties at Whitburn. One of them pre- 

 sents an important variation of the spines forming the " paxillae," 

 which on the dorsal surface of those usually obtained are agglo- 

 merated together in the form of little beads, which lie side by 

 side in a single row, and form an elevated margin round each 

 ray. In the specimen under consideration from each of these 

 "paxillaa" are produced one to four small spines of a conical 

 form: some of the rays have these spines more strongly deve- 

 loped than the others. I incline to think this is a species dis- 

 tinct from A. irregularis, but do not feel justified in separating it 

 until I have had an opportunity of examining the variety in a 



