154 ] 
RECORDS OF W.A. MUSEUM. 
Type species, Astrogymnotes catasticta, sp. nov. 
This interesting new ophiuran, noticeable for being jexamerous, 
appears to be one of the sub-family Astroscheminae as restricted 
and defined by Doderlein in igii. But it is easily distinguished 
from the other members of that family by the absence of both upper 
and under arm plates, and the presence of both tentacle scales and 
arm spines. 
ASTROGYMNOTES -CATASTICTA, ' sp. nov. 
Plate XXII. 
Rays 6, rarely 7. Disk about 9 mm. across ; rays about 45 
mm. long. Entire animal covered by a smooth skin, which is 
perfectly bare, except on the upper surface of the arms and the 
adjoining portions of the disk, where it is more or less crowded with 
minute circular bits of lime ; about a dozen series of these occupy 
the width of the arm. Radial shields not visible but indicated 
through the skin by short radial elevations, a pair at the base of 
each arm ; these are about 3 mm. long. No upper or under arm- 
plates to be seen even in a dried specimen. Teeth well formed, in 
a vertical series of five ; oral papillae rudimentary, about three on 
each side of each jaw. No madreporic or oral shields present. 
Arm-spines present, one on each of the three basal segments, but 
two on each of the remaining segments ; they are less than a milli- 
metre long, cylindrical, blunt and subequal. Tentacle-pores evident, 
each one guarded by a flat, nearly circular tentacle scale. Genital 
slits small and oblique, about equal to the length of an arm-joint ; 
two in each interradius. Colour yellow-brown, indistinctly speckled 
on radial areas of disk, and conspicuously spotted all over the lower 
surface of disk and arms with pale yellowish white. In dry specimens 
the colours are dull, the spotting is not so noticeable and the cal- 
careous granules give the upper surface of the arms a whitish cast. 
Off Jurien Bay, W.A., 80-100 fms. Ten specimens. No. 4,924. 
It is a real satisfaction to have such a good series of this 
remarkable ophiuran for study. It is probably as nearly related 
to Astroschema as to any known genus, but still retains a distinc- 
tion between arm spines and tentacle scales. The arms are also 
1 Gr. catasiictos — spotted. 
