WEST INDIAN STAEFISHES 171 



the most interior contained three slender spines ; the second con- 

 sisted of one large compressed spine and a small one adorally 

 placed ; the external range contained three small truncated spines 

 equal to the smaller one of the second range. It seems to be the 

 typical form of duplicatios. 



The young: Two very young specimens, taken by the Alba- 

 tross, off West Florida, in 28 fathoms, are of interest. The 

 smaller has the radii 3°^°^ and 8°^°^; the other 4°^°^ and 12.5°^ 

 with 12 marginal plates in each series. 



The latter has already developed the most obvious specific 

 characters, so that one would not hesitate as to its identification. 

 The first pair of interradial superomarginal plates are already 

 enlarged and each bears an upright conical spine as long as the 

 radial breadth of the plate. Enlarged granules are present on 

 some of the following plates in the places where additional spines 

 would have appeared. 



The inferomarginal spines alreadj^ have their flattened linear- 

 lanceolate form, though small. There is a prominent conical 

 elevation in the middle of the disk of both, covered by minute 

 paxillae, and terminated by a very small apical pore. 



The adambulacral spines and jaw-spines are like those of 

 larger specimens, but in miniature. 



The smaller specimen has ten marginal plates. No supero- 

 marginal spines have developed, but clusters of coarser granules 

 on the first interradial plates show where they were about to 

 form. The inferomarginal spines are more slender, but yet are 

 somewhat flattened. The podia are relatively very large, flat- 

 tened, acute. 



This species is common and widely distributed in shallow 

 w^ater all through the West Indies, and in the Gulf of Mexico, 

 and north to Florida. 



Gray 's type was from St. Vincent ; that of Miiller and Troschel 

 was from Vera Cruz; those of Liitken were from St. Thomas, 

 S. Cruz, and Florida. Perrier records it from North Carolina, 

 but that needs confirmation. I have never seen it from so far 

 north. In the Yale Museum there are specimens from the Flor- 

 ida Keys (No. 259) and also from the west coast of Florida, at 

 Egmont Key, near Tampa Bay (E. Jewett coll.. No. 1768). The 

 Albatross dredged it off West Florida, N. lat. 26° 18' 30" and N. 



