STARFISHES 209 
GENUS Astropecten 
A. articularis. The body is flat and smooth; the rays sharply 
pointed and conspicuously bordered with marginal ossicles and fringed 
with short spines; two rows of ambulacral feet; color rich purple. 
Found in shallow waters of South Atlantic coast on sandy bottoms. 
(Plate LIT.) 
Genus Psilaster 
P. flore. Diameter four to five inches; arms sharply pointed and 
conspicuously bordered with large ossicles; body flat, with smooth sur- 
face, the ossicles seeming like mosaic; bright pinkish flesh-color. It 
occurs in deep water off the eastern coast as far south as New Jersey. 
Genus Luidia 
This genus of starfishes is celebrated for its peculiar habit of 
breaking in pieces when taken from the water, and therefore good 
specimens are almost impossible to obtain. 
L. senegalensis. Twelve to fourteen inches across; arms long and 
narrow, tapering to a point and fringed on the edges with spines; sur- 
face rather smooth, showing the separation of the ossicles; color almost 
white, with dark line running through the center of each arm; usually 
nine arms. Found in shallow water on the coasts of Florida and the 
Gulf of Mexico. 
L. clathrata. Four to five inches across; light-colored; with a 
fringe of spines on the margins of the arms, which taper to a point; 
two rows of ambulacra. It is found from New Jersey southward, and is 
one of the most common starfishes on the sandy beaches of North and 
South Carolina. (Plate LI.) 
L. alternata. Upper surface purplish, with irregular yellowish bands 
on the arms; under surface yellow. Found in shallow water on the 
Florida coast. 
FAMILY PENTAGONASTERDE 
Genus Mediaster 
M. equalis. Body flat; the five rays equal or exceed in length the 
diameter of the disk ; margins have double row of large plates; surface 
covered with granules, which are easily rubbed off; bright red above, 
pale orange below; diameter four inches. Common on the coasts of 
Oregon and California. 
FAMILY ANTHENEDE 
Genus Hippasteria 
H. phrygiana. This beautiful starfish lives in deep water, but is 
sometimes thrown up on the beach, and ranges from Cape Cod north- 
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