WEST INDIAN STARFISHES 63 



oblique rows, thickened or convex, with a finely areolated sur- 

 face, and bearing a central fan of two to five or more spinules. 

 The smaller specimens usually have only two or three spinules; 

 larger ones may have four or five on the proximal ones and two 

 on the distal ones. 



The proximal plates are so arranged that in the dry specimens 

 a distinct pore, similar to the dorsal papular pores in size, is 

 situated between their angles, but whether occupied by a papula 

 cannot be ascertained from the dry specimens. The furrow- 

 series of spines form a regular graded, webbed comb of about 

 four or five on each plate, the central spines longer. On the 

 actinal end of the plate there are usually two to four webbed 

 spines, in a fan, the number increasing with the age. 



West Indies; Colon; south to the Abrolhos Reefs, and Rio de 

 Janeiro, Brazil. West Africa; Senegal (Perrier) ; Canary 

 Islands. 



Perrier records a six-rayed example from Brazil. 



The Yale Museum has specimens from Rio de Janeiro (coll. 

 C. F. Hartt, No. 5205) and other localities. 



Perrier and several others regard the West African species 

 (E. stellifera [Mob.] ) as identical with that of the American 

 coast. I have seen no African specimens and cannot express 

 any personal opinion as to their identity. 



The following species, from Panama, is very closely related to 

 the above. 



Enoplopatiria siderea Yerrill. 



Enoplopatiria siderea Verrill, Eevision Asterininae, p. 480, 1913; Starfishes 

 N. Pacific, p. 365, pi. cix, fig 3, 1914«. 



Plate xxvii; figures 3 — Sa. Type. 



This is a rather large species. The type (dry) has the radii 

 24°^°^ and 45°^°^; ratio, 1:1.83. 



It differs from the preceding in having the principal papular 

 plates larger, thicker, more deeply lobed, and more finely areo- 

 lated ; in having the distal, dorsal interradial plates more round- 

 ed, and provided with very regular stellate rosettes of five to 

 seven slender, divergent, interlocking spinules, and often one 



