186 NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN 



Color in life, bright light yellow to orange-yellow; sometimes 

 pale yellow. 



This species was taken in vast numbers (many thousands), at 

 about a hundred stations, by the Fishhawk and Albatross, 1880 

 to 1887, during the Explorations by the U. S. Fish Commission, 

 off the eastern coast of the United States, in 43 to 296 fathoms. 



It was most abundant in 60 to 150 fathoms, where two thou- 

 sand to five thousand were repeatedly taken by us in a single 

 haul of the trawl. 



It occurs abundantly from N. lat. 40° 23' to the region off the 

 Carolina coasts. Farther south it seems to be less common, but 

 it reaches the Florida Straits, West Florida, and the Caribbean 

 Sea, off Colombia. 



It was taken by the Albatross at station 2647, in 85 fathoms, 

 in the Straits of Florida; at station 2399, in 196 fathoms, off 

 West Florida. Also at station 2143, in the Caribbean Sea, north 

 of Colombia, in 155 fathoms (variety suhgracilis) . 



This is probably the most abundant starfish, off our coast, if 

 we except the littoral species of Asterias. 



Variety subgracilis, nov. 



Rays flat, long, narrow, very slender distally and acute. Pax- 

 illar area rather narrow, paxillag small, with about eight to twelve 

 very slender elongated divergent spinules, which in the dry 

 specimens are mostly grouped in a fasciculate bundle, leaving 

 the papular pores exposed. Distally toward the tips of the rays 

 the paxillse become very small with almost microscopic spinules. 

 Proximally they form spaced transverse rows, except along the 

 median band where there are no papulae. Some of them have a 

 small papilliform pedicellaria replacing part of the spinules. 



Madreporic plate rather large, convex, exposed. Ocular plate 

 smaller and narrower than in the typical form. 



Superomarginal plates nearly as in the ordinary form, but 

 with fewer and more minute spinules. 



Inferomarginal spines are normally two, usually unequal, the 

 adoral smaller and sometimes absent. These spines are very- 

 slender and acute. Small pedicellarige often occur just above 

 their base, and also on the under side of the plate. 



Adambulacral spines are all slender; inner series of three, 

 elongated and tapered ; second series of two, subequal, slender, as 



