WEST INDIAN STARFISHES 205 



sists of stellate, round paxillse about twice as large as those of 

 adjacent rows, and these are in turn at least twice as large as 

 those along the median region. The latter are very small, with 

 few slender spinules, and much crowded. 



The adambulacral plates of this specimen have three rather 

 long, acute spines in a transverse row ; the inner one, on the apex 

 of the plate, is shorter than the others, more slender, somewhat 

 recurved and compressed. 



Large numbers of specimens, many of them of large size, were 

 taken at about forty stations, off the eastern coast of the United 

 States, in 1880-1887, by the United States Fish Commission 

 steamers, mostly in 53 to 146 fathoms, from N. lat. 37° 31' to the 

 region south of Cape Hatteras. The Albatross also took it in the 

 West Indies. 



It was taken by the Blake, off Barbados, in 200 fathoms (Per- 

 rier) . The locality of the type was not given. It was from the 

 Mus. Comp. Zoology, dredged in "101 feet." Perhaps from the 

 Hassler Expedition, off Barbados. 



It was taken by the Bahama Expedition at station 63, in 85-95 

 fathoms, off Florida (2 spec. See pi. xix, fig. 1). 



LuiDiA BARBiVDENSis Pcrricr. 



Luidia barbadensis Perrier, op. cit., p. 29, 1881. Etoiles de Mer, p. 267, 

 pi. X, figs. 7, 8, 1884. 



Plate xxiv; figure 1. 



Rays flat above, slender, commonly six, sometimes five. The 

 type had the radii 10°^°^ and 125^°^; ratio, 1:12.5. Greater 

 breadth of rays about ll™'". 



According to Perrier the characters of the type are as follows : 

 Rays six, very long and extremely fragile. The three outer 

 rows of paxillse, on each side, have the paxillae larger than those 

 of the middle region ; next there are two pretty regular rows of 

 ^all paxillag ; the median ones are still smaller and irregularly 

 placed. 



The inferomarginal plates are covered with small spines and 

 have a median row of larger conical spines, of which the last two 

 are considerably larger and form the marginal row of spines. 



The adambulacral plates have one furrow-spine, which is com- 



