130 A. E. Verrill on Starfishes and Ophiurians. 
Art. XIX.—Brief Contributions to Zotlogy from the Museum of 
Yale College. No. XV.—Descriptions of Starfishes and Oph — 
urvans from the Atlantic coasts of America and Africa; by 
A. HK. VERRILL. 
HE genus, (foniasier, as restricted by Dr. J. E. Gray in 1840, 
includes several beautiful species of starfishes, which are stil 
very rare and imperfectly known. Dr. Gray named three spe- 
cies, without giving descriptions sufficient for their identifica- 
tion, all of which were from unknown localities, and two of them 
were apparently known to him only from the rude figures of | 
Linck and Seba. I am unable to refer the two following species — 
to either of the species named by him. : 
Goniaster Americanus, sp. nov. 
Form pentagonal with deeply and regularly concave edges 
Radii as 1:1°8. Rays considerably less than half the diameter 
of the disk, triangular, tapering, with slightly incurved sides 
The disk is somewhat convex, especially at center, and covered — 
with rather large, polygonal plates, which are separated by lines 
of pores, and on the rays by small groups and circular clusters 
of granules. The plates, unless supporting a spine, are closely 
covered with small polygonal granules, with a well-marked lar 
ger series around the edge; those that bear spines have t 
arginal granules and two or more series of the smaller ones | 
around the base of the spine. In the center of the disk is 
single spine, around this are five larger ones, each of which 8 | 
the first in a row of 4 to 8 spines extending along the middle | 
of the ray, but usually interrupted by plates destitute of spines; — 
bordering the middle of the central row, on each side, there#® | 
a row of 5 or 6 similar spines; outside of these a row of 3 or? — 
smaller spines; and beyond these usually 1 or 2 spines; thus 4 
the middle region of each ray has a broad-oval group of spines; | 
broadest toward the center of the disk. -t 
Sai 
madreporic i 
takes the place of these. The upper marginal asa are 1410 — 
aa 
