WEST INDIAN STARFISHES 17 



Plate ii ; fibres 1, 2. Plate ix ; figures 1, la. 



The largest specimen has the radii 9^°^ and 66™^ ; ratio, 1 :7.33. 

 This was from the Bahama Expedition, station 43, in 15 fathoms. 

 The disk is small and has a very evident central pentagon of 

 plates and spines. The rays are slender, somewhat angular, reg- 

 ularly tapered to subacute tips. 



The dorsal plates form a conspicuous raised median carina, 

 and a smaller dorso-lateral row on each side, well separated from 

 the prominent superomarginal row by a wide lane, containing 

 large papular areas and crossed by stout transverse ossicles 

 uniting the plates of the two rows, but without spines. 



The spines generally stand singly on all the dorsal, radial, and 

 superomarginal plates, and all have the same form. They are 

 rather long, terete, regularly tapered, and acute. They are sur- 

 rounded, near the base, with a dense wreath of minor pedicel- 

 lariag of small size. 



The inferomarginal plates form a conspicuous row well sep- 

 arated from the upper ones by a wide lane, which contains a row 

 of large papular areas and bears many rather large, erect, lanceo- 

 late or subacute major pedicellariae. 



Each plate usually bears two spines, one nearly above the 

 other. The upper one is the larger. It is larger than the supero- 

 marginals and dorsals, and is somewhat flattened, often a little 

 expanded distally or sublanceolate, and subacute; the other is 

 distinctly smaller and more acute. Sometimes there is prox- 

 imaUy a much smaller third spine below the second, apparently 

 arising from the same plate, but perhaps, in some cases, arising 

 from a rudimentary interactinal ossicle not visible at the surface. 

 The third spine is lacking in specimens a little smaller. 



The upper inferomarginal spines bear, at about midheight, a 

 dense cluster of numerous minor pedicellariae on the upper side. 

 There are also some of the rather large lanceolate major pedicel- 

 lariae between their bases. Similar major pedicellariae occur on 

 and between the adambulacral spines, on the inner margins of 

 the ambulacral furrows, and on the interradial areas. 



The adambulacral plates bear each two rather long, slender, 

 flattened, subequal spines, which form two regular rows; the 

 and more flattened or subspatulate. The peroral spines are 

 outer ones are the larger. The adoral spines are longer, larger. 



