THE E0H1N0DERMS OF THE WOODS HOLE REGION. 555 
Hole region. The latter were probably identified by Verrill. Sladen (’89) expressed his suspicion 
that tencra and compta were identical, but owing to lack of material withheld his decision. Verrill 
(’95) thinks tenera is a poorly nourished, slender variety of compta, but the name tcnera has precedence. 
The group of starfish (regarded as a genus by Verrill and a subgenus by Sladen) called Leptasterio. s, 
and including tenera and one or two other forms, does not seem to rest upon characters of sufficient 
importance and constancy to warrant recognition. Very little is known of the habits or development 
of Asterias tenera, though the latter is said to Ire without metamorphosis, the young being cared for by 
the mother, to whom they are attached. Whether this species is really distinct from Asterias millleri 
of Europe remains to be proved. 
4. Asterias austera Verrill. (PI. 2, figs. 8, 9; pi. 4, figs. 18, 19.) 
Asterias austera Verrill, 1895. 
Description. — Rays 5. R=24 to 35 mm., r=6 to 10 mm., R=3.5 to 4 r. Breadth of ray near base 
6£ to 10 mm., R=3.5 br. Rays rather short, wide, and depressed, somewhat angular from the promi- 
nent row of lateral spines. Interbrachial arcs rather acute. Abactinal area covered with rather stout 
plates, apparently with no regular arrangement, the median radial series being very zigzag. These 
plates are very thick, though the width is quite variable. They carry short, very blunt spines, con- 
siderably less than 1 mm. in length. Spines of the median radial series sometimes noticeably larger 
than the disk spines. Each spine is encircled at the base by a few small, blunt pedicellariee, usually 
from 4 to 10 in number, but these are often wanting on the disk. Occasional isolated pedicel larise 
of much larger size occur scattered here and there on the abactinal framework. Sides of ray 
practically vertical, the upper edge being marked by a series of 18 to 28 large stout plates, which start 
at the level of the disk, abactinally, and run distally with a downward slope, so that the side of the 
ray is almost twice as high at base as at tip. Each of these plates carries a prominent, stout, blunt 
spine, about 0.7 of a mm. long, encircled at base by a cluster of 8 to 15 small pedicellari: ? on the upper 
and outer side.- Between the two series of spines the lateral surface of the ray is free from projections 
of any kind, except occasionally a few large pedicellarise. Between the actino-lateral series and the 
adambulacral plates there is apparently only a single row of. plates, and these are usually confined to 
the basal half of the ray. They often bear stout spines nearly 1 mm. long, which are apparently 
opposite and not alternate with the spines of the actino-lateral series. They have no cluster of 
pedicellarise at the base, but sometimes bear one or two small pedicellarise near the tip. Adam- 
bulacral plates with one or two nearly cylindrical blunt spines, considerably over a mm. in length; 
they do not alternate alike even on the two sides of the same ray. These spines are mostly free 
from pedicellarise, but rarely a small blunt one is present near the tip. Within the ambulacral 
groove, however, above the bases of the spines, are numerous small pedicellarise. These are sometimes 
specially prominent on the oral plates. Adambulacral plates rather few; a specimen with R=18 has 
only 49 on each side of the furrow, and my largest, with R=24, has only 60. Madrepore plate of 
medium size, with few, wide furrows, and surrounded by a rather incomplete circle of 6 to 8 spines. 
Tube feet quad ri serial, but not at all crowded. Color in life white, cream color, or yellowish, more or 
less marked abactinally by dark green, purple, or reddish. Digestive cceca often show through the 
abactinal surface, especially in small individuals (as in young vulgaris and tenera), adding much to 
their beauty. 
Range. — Georges Bank and off Cape Cod; Crab Ledge, off Chatham, Mass.; 17 to 35 fathoms. 
Remarks. — After some hesitation 1 have referred a small star-fish, of which we took 12 specimens 
at Crab Ledge, to Verrill’s species austera, although, owing to the brevity of his description and the 
lack of figures, there is some room for doubt; but the largest specimens answer very well to his 
description, and as he reports his species from off Cape Cod in 33 to 35 fathoms, it is highly probable 
that the species here described and figured is austera. it is a handsome little star-fish, and seems to be 
common at Crab Ledge. We did not find it elsewhere. Nothing is known of its habits or development. 
5. Cribrella sanguinolenta (0. F. Muller). (PI. 3, figs. 10, 11; pi. 4, fig. 22.) 
Asterias sanguinolenta O. F. Muller, 1770. 
Asterias 'per tusa O. F. Muller, 1770. 
Asterias oculata Pennant, 1777. 
Asterias spongiosa Fabricius, 1780: Gould, 1841; Desor, 1848. 
Linckia oculata Forbes, 1839; Stimpson, 1853. 
Cribella oculata Forbes, 1841. 
Linckia pertusa Stimpson, 1853. 
Cribrella sanguinolenta Liitken, 1859; Verrill, 1806 et seq. 
Cribrella oculata Al. and E. C. Agassiz, 1805; Sladen, 1889. 
