301 
The arms are short, the whole outline being sub-pentagonal, in 
marked contradistinction to the other species of the Asterinopsis- 
group, especially A. penicillaris Lmk. from the Cape region, with 
its long, narrow arms. The largest specimen in hånd measures 
28 mm R, 20 mm r; thus R = 1.4 r. The smallest specimen 
measures 6 mm R, 5 mm r. 
In the aboral skeleton the secondary plates are few and small, 
confined mainly to the proximal part of the rays. The primary 
plates of the midradial line are distinctly smaller than those in the 
parallel lateral series; the serial arrangement of the plates in the 
midline is, in the larger specimens, generally distinet only in the 
proximal part, the distal part of the ray showing a quite irregular 
arrangement of the midradial and the adjoining lateral plates. As 
pointed out by Benham there is a larger, crescentic plate at the 
base of each ray, which forms together with some similar inter- 
radial plates, a more or less prominent circle round the centre of 
the disk, close to which the small madreporite is situated. Each 
plate bears a bundle of very siender, closeset spinelets, the number 
of which amounts to about a hundred on the larger plates; the 
larger bundles are more or less distinctly crescentic, the coneavity 
being directed inwards (Fig. 13.c). The spinelets on the marginal 
plates are not longer than those on the aboral plates. 
The adambulacral plates are stated by Ben ham to carry four 
furrow-spines. I find that generally there are 5—6 furrow-spines, 
rarely even 7, but sometimes only 4. They are united by a web 
and form on each plate a comb, situated obliquely, the distal end 
of the comb turning towards the furrow (Fig. 13.b). The outer 
adambulacral spines generally form another comb, parallel to that 
at the. furrow, only of somewhat smaller spines, and outside these 
there are some other, smaller spinelets, irregularly arranged or 
sometimes also forming a more or less distinet comb. The jaws 
carry along their inner edge a close comb of spines, the inner 
ones the largest; they are generally erect, forming like a fence 
(Fig. 13.a). Generally there are 7—8 spines to each half of the 
jaw. Outside these each half of jaw carries a group of spines, ar¬ 
ranged in a more or less distinet comb. The interradial plates of 
the oral side carry a close tuft of ca. 10 siender spinelets on their 
