1900.] MB. F. P. BEDEOED ON MALAYAN ECHINODERMS. 291 



The colour, during life, is bluish green on the abactinal surface, 

 the underside being white (in alcohol the colour rapidly bleaches 

 to a dull grey). 



This species is distinguished from 0. hesperus, the only other 

 known species of the genus, by the spinulation of the infero- 

 marginals and ventrolaterals ; the colour is also probably a constant 

 distinguishing feature. As I hope to publish later some morpho- 

 logical details of this species, I will refrain from discussing here 

 the systematic position of the genus, about which there appears to 

 be much divergence of opinion (cf. Ludwig, Verrill, &c). 









Arm- 



No. of 





B. 



r. 



breadth. 



marginals 



Largest specimen. 



. 75 



15 



17 



47 



Smallest „ 



. 18 



6 



6 



23 



3. ASTROPECTEN JAVANICUS, Var. MALACCANUS nOV. 



Astropecten javanicus, C. Liitken, Yidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. 

 Foren. 1871, p. 234. 



Astropecten andersoni, ~W. P. Sladen, Jouru. Linn. Soc, Zool. 

 xxi. 1889, p. 322, pi. 28. figs. 1-4. 



Reference. C. Ph. Sluiter, Natuurk. Tijd. Ned. Ind. xlviii. 1889. 



i?=3-3xr. 



Locality 6f Habitat. Abundant in about 2 fathoms on mud, 

 Malacca : their food seems to consist principally of small Larnelli- 

 branchs. 



Distribution. Previously recorded from Mergui Archipelago and 

 Java. 



This variety is intermediate between the type and A. andersoni. 

 It differs from the former in the following particulars : — the lateral 

 spines are always sharp ; the adambulacral armature is tripla- 

 canthid in adult specimens, the outer series being composed of 

 2 or 3 small spines forming an oblique arc continuous with the 

 small adoral spine of the middle series. It differs from A. ander- 

 soni in the spinulation of the inferomarginals, 3 or 4 spines being 

 developed on each plate and forming a transverse row continuous 

 with the lateral spines at the bases of the arms ; the pasilli have 

 a circular crown with 8 or 9 spines on the periphery and usually a 

 single central spine. The colour is either chocolate-brown or 

 grey in spirit, as in A. andersoni, which seems to me to be a 

 variety of A. javanicus. 



As in most species of Astropecten, there is a Polian vesicle on 

 each side of the stone-canal and in each of the remaining 4 

 interradii ; each is very long, with a large vesicular extremity, which 

 comes to lie in one of the arms adjacent to the interradius in which 

 the Polian vesicle originates. 



R. r. 



36 11 



Arni- 



No. of 



breadth. 



marginals. 



12 



24 or 25 



