WEST INDIAN STAEFISHES 



115 



461 fathoms, off G-ranada (very young). The bottom at these 

 stations was sand and shells or gray sand, except that in 85 

 fathoms, which was ' hard. ' ' 



Family Ch.5:tast3iirid^ Ludwig. 



Chcetasterince (subfamily of Linckiadae) Sladen, Voy, ChalL, xxx, pp. xxxv, 

 397, 1889. Perrier, Exp. Trav. et Talism., p. 328, 1894. 



LinclciadcB (pars) Yignier, op. cit., vol. vii, p. 147, 1878. Perrier, op. cit., 

 1884, p. 164. 



ChcetasteridcB (family) Ludwig, op. cit., 1899. Fisher, op. cit., 1911fe, pp. 

 18, 21. 



Stellate starfishes with elongated well rounded rays and small 

 disk. Dorsal and marginal plates similar in several definite 

 rows, elevated in the middle and bearing slender, divergent 

 paxilliform spinules; some plates may be larger and nodulous. 

 Internally they have radiating connective ossicles. Papular 

 pores dorsal, mostly isolated, none intermarginal. Adambula- 

 cral plates have a marginal row of slender spinules and a group 

 of small ones on the actinal side. Ampullae single. Odd inter- 

 radial marginal plates may be present. Interradial septa calci- 

 fied. Pedicellarige unknown. 



Genus Ch^taster M. and Trosch. (emended), type, C. subulata. 



CJuBtaster (pars) M. and Tr., 1840, p. 321. Syst. Ast., p. 27, 1842. Per- 

 rier, Eevis. Stell., Arch. Zool. Exper. et Gen., v, p. 249, 1876 (not de- 

 scribed). Viguier, Arch. Zool. Exper., vii, p. 152, pi. x, figs. 8-13, 1878 

 (structure). 



CiuBtaster Sladen, op. cit., vol. xxx, pp. 397, 398, 399, 1889. 

 Nepanthia (pars) Gray, 1840, p. 287; Synopsis, p. 15, 1866. 

 CJuEtaster Fisher, op. cit., 19115, pp. 18, 20, 21. 



Characters are included in the description of the family.^^ It 

 is the only genus. Very few species are known. 



The type species is C. longipes (Ketz.) z= Asterias suhulata 

 Lam., found in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic, off the 

 Azores, etc., and ranging down to 1100 meters or more. 



19 The position of this family is uncertain. The character of the plates 

 and spinulation is much like those of Henricia, of the Echinasterids. It 

 agrees with that family in having simple ampullae. 



