A. E. Verrill — New Genera and Species of Starfishes. 61 



petaled flower ; the largest ones may have seven or eight diver- 

 gent spines, and the small distal ones only four or five ; the 

 supero-marginal and actinal ones are quite similar. The infero- 

 actinal plates bear a larger number (8-12) of similar spinules. 

 The adambulacral spines consist of a furrow-series with two 

 or sometimes three rather short, tapered spines, and an outer 

 comb of six or seven nearly equal, tapered spines, webbed 

 nearly to the tips ; the inner ones are usually rather longer, so 

 that the rows are a little graded. Adoral spines strongly 

 graded, about ten to a jaw, the apical ones unusually stout. 

 The type is from Puget Sound (Prof. Kincaid). This is the 

 only 8-rayed species known to me from that coast. Its large 

 and beautifully stellate paxillse are distinctive. 



Pteraster octaster Ver., sp. nov. Figure 1. 



Disk large and plump ; margins well defined by points of 

 actino-marginal spines ; rays eight, short, about as wide as long, 

 subacute ; the ambulacral grooves turn up but little at the tips. 

 Kadii of the largest example, 20 and 30 mm . 



Dorsal surface covered with a thick 'membrane through 

 which the tips of the spinules show but little as pretty 

 uniformly scattered points ; in alcohol they form the apex of 

 small, low, conical, fleshy elevations. Central oscule small, in 

 alcohol inconspicuous, its short spines covered by a soft mem- 

 brane. Ambulacral feet large, in two rows. 



Adambulacral spines form combs of five or six spines, of 

 which the innermost is much smaller and more slender than 

 the rest, which are rather stout, tapered, subacute, divergent ; 

 the outer ones longer ; the outermost appressed to the surface. 

 Epioral pair of spines long and rather stout, tapered, translu- 

 cent distally. The interradial areas are narrow, with rows of 

 long, stout, imbedded actino-marginal spines, the ends of which 

 project a little at the margin of the disk. Four specimens 

 were sent to me by the U. S. National Museum. Three were 

 from Bering Island, collected by Dr. Stejneger and Mr. -N. 

 Grebnitsky in 1888. One was from Kamchatka, collected by 

 _N\ Grebnitsky. 



This is the only Pteraster known which has more than six 

 rays and is therefore easily recognized. 



Pteraster hebes Ver., sp. nov. 



Disk plump and relatively large, the five rays being very 

 short and blunt, with the ambulacral grooves and plates turned 

 upward and reflexed upon the upper surface nearly to the base 

 of the rays, or about even with the shallow interradial angles. 

 Eadii, 22 and 28 mm . The central dorsal oscule is well devel- 



