WEST INDIAN STARFISHES 



49 



The adambulacral spines are very characteristic. There is a 

 strictly marginal comb, directed horizontally across the groove, 

 and composed proximally usually of three slender spines, 

 webbed at base. Distally these spines are reduced to two and 

 near the tip of the ray to one. Deep in the groove there is 

 sometimes a minute furrow spine, especially distally, but prox- 

 imally it is usually lacking or rudimentary. 



On the actinal face of the plate there are numerous minute 

 spinules, of which four to six, near the inner margin, become de- 

 cidedly longer than the rest. 



The adambulacral plates and spines project strongly into the 

 groove, but are so much separated serially that they leave large 

 rounded interspaces for the passage of the sucker-feet, which 

 appear to be larger than usual. 



Taken by the Albatross at station 2655, in 338 fathoms, north 

 of Bahamas, N. lat. 27° 22'; W. long. 78° 7' 30''. (No. 18,390, 

 Nat. Mus.) 



Family Solasterid^ Perrier. 



SolasterincE (sub-family of Echinasteridac) Yigiuer, Squellette des Steller- 

 ides, Nouv. Arch. Zool. Exper., vii, p. 133, pi. viii, figs. 1-7, 1878, 

 (structure). 



Solastericke Perrier, Etoiles de mer, p. 210, 1884. SJaden, Eep. Voy. Chall., 

 Zocil., XXX, p. 442, 1889. Perrier, Exped. Trav. et Talism., p. 151, 1894. 

 Fisher, op. cit., 1911&, p. 305. A^errill, op. cit., 1914a, p. 242. 



Echinastericke (pars) Perrier, Revis. Stell., Nouv. Arch, du Mus., iv, p. 358, 

 1875. 



Rays varying in number from five to thirteen or more. Dorsal 

 skeleton generally formed either by openly reticulated or loosely 

 imbricated (rarely detached) ossicles, which have a convex or 

 elevated central boss, bearing a cluster of slender paxilliform 

 movable spinules, webbed together into stellate or pencillate 

 groups (pseudopaxillag). Both series of marginal plates are 

 usually distinguishable, at least distally, alternate or opposite, 

 oi: nearly in one line. The upper ones are often the smaller 

 and essentially like the dorsal pseudopaxill^e. Both rows bear 

 paxilliform spinelets. 



Actinal interradial pseudopaxill^e are generally present and 

 similar to the dorsals. Adambulacral plates are transversely 

 elongated and bear, each, one to five or more spines, usually 



