næsten runde og støde til hverandre, uden egentlig at være 
taglagte, som f. Ex. hos Sol. papposus og affinis, Tab*IX, 
Fig. 7, b, dels ere de mere flade, kantede og dække hver- 
andre (taglagte) som hos Sol. endeca, glacialis og furcifer, 
Tab. IX, Fig. 5, d. 9, d; men heller ikke disse Forskjel- 
ligheder kunne tjene som Slægtsmærker, hvilke heller ikke 
Viguier har opstillet som saadanne. — 
N 
Paxillerne, der bæres af Kalknettet, ere hos de for- 
skjellige Arter stillede tættere sammen eller længere fra 
hverandre, som oftest eftersom Maskerne ere større eller 
mindre; videst ere de hos Solaster papposus, tættest hos 
S. endeca; Overgangene findes tydeligt nok hos de 3 mel- 
lemliggende Arter: Solaster affimis, furcifer og glacialis. 
Og hvad nu deres Form og Udstyr betræfter, saa finder 
man ogsaa her Overgange, der vel kan hjælpe til at be- 
stemme Arten, men ingelunde Slegten. Hos Sol. papposus 
ere de længst, have de længste, penselformige Kalknaale ; 
hos S. affins ere de kortere, hos furcifer og glacialis ere 
de endnu kortere, men kortest ere de hos S. endeca. 
Professor F. J. Bell," der har beskjæftiget sig med 
Slægten Solaster, tilbøielig til at give Dr. Viguier 
Medhold i sine Udtalelser mod Agassiz's Deling, men ud- 
trykker sig dog forbeholdent, idet han siger: ,but that ex- 
cellent investigator seems to me to have not fully weighed 
all the facts, which can be made out with regard to these 
two forms, which he returns in one genus.“ Han ytrer 
fremdeles, at den Omstændighed, at Solaster endeca har 
alene ventrale og Solaster papposus kun dorsale Rand- 
plader, maa tjene som en ,very considerable support 
for Agassiz’s Mening. Dersom dette virkelig forholdt sig 
saa, skulde vi indrømme, at der var nogen Berettigelse til 
at foretage en Deling, omendskjønt 
kjende, at denne Særegenhed ved Rardpladerne alene var 
tilstrækkelig Grund til Slægtens Deling. Paa de 5 Arter, 
der have staaet til vor Raadighed, have vi underkaset Ske- 
letdelene en meget nøiagtig Undersøgelse, og vi skulle nu 
angive, hvad vi have fundet med Hensyn til Randpladerne. 
er 
vi ikke kunne er- 
Hos Solaster endeca er der to Rekker Randplader, 
en der tilhører Rygsiden og en Bugfladen. De ligge skjulte 
af den tykke Hud og iagttages kun, naar denne tilligemed 
Paxillerne er borttagen. 
De dorsale Randplader ere fladtrykte, have en tre- 
kantet Figur med den smalere Del vendt udad, Tab. IX, 
Fig. 13, c; paa denne smalere Dels undre Flade er en li- 
den, knopformig Forhøming, der danner Ledfladen for 
Paxillen. Den bredere Del vender: indad og hviler med 
sin øvre, lidt konkave Flade paa den tilsvarende ventrale 
1 A Note on the Characters of the Genus Crossaster, with the 
description of a new species. F. Jeffrey Bell. Ann. & Magaz. of 
Nat. Hist., 5th Ser., Vol. 8, pag. 140. 1881. 
ee 
plates, which are partly, oblong, and partly, nearly circular, 
and they abut upon each other, without, however, being 
laid imbricately, as for instance, in Solaster papposus and 
affinis; (Pl. IX, fig. 7, b) they are also, partly, more flat 
and angular, and cover each other imbricately as in Sol- 
aster endeca, glacialis and furcifer (Pl. LX, fig. 5, d. 9, d), 
but these divergencies cannot serve as generic features, and 
neither has Viguier presented them as such. 
In the various species, the paxillæ carried by the 
calcareous reticulation, are placed at intervals more or less 
apart, usually, according as the meshes are larger or smal- 
ler, and they are widest in Solaster papposus, and nar- 
rowest in Solaster endeca. "The transitions are visible, dis- 
tinctly enough, in the three intermediate species Solaster 
affinis, furcifer, and glacialis. Now, in regard also, to the 
form and equipment of the paxillæ, we find transitions 
which may well assist in determining the species, but not 
at all the genus. In Solaster papposus, the paxillæ are 
longest, and have the longest penicilliform calcareous 
needles. In Solaster affinis, the paxille are shorter, and 
in furcifer, and glacialis, they are still shorter, but they are 
shortest of all, in Solaster endeca. 
Professor F. J. Bell, who has ocenpied himself with 
the genus Solaster, is disposed to agree with Dr. Viguier in 
his opinion against Agassiz’s sub-division, but he, yet, ex- 
presses himself with reserve, in as much as he says:! ,,but* 
»that excellent investigator seems to me to have not fully“ 
»weighed all the facts which can he made out with re-“ 
sgard to these two forms which he returns in one genus“ 
— he states further, that the circumstance, that Solaster 
endeca has only ventro-marginal plates, whilst Solaster pap- 
posus has only dorso-marginal plates, must serve as a ,,very* 
,considerable support“ for Agassiz’s opinion. If this was 
really the case, we would admit, that there was some 
ground for making a subdivision, although, we could not 
acknowledge that the peculiarity in respect of the marginal 
plates, was, of itself, a sufficient reason for the subdivision 
of the genus. We have instituted a close examination, of 
the five species which we have had at our disposal, and 
shall now state the result of our observations in regard 
to the marginal plates. 
In Solaster endeca, there are two series of marginal 
plates, one pertaiming to the abactinal surface, and the 
other to the actinal surface, and they lie concealed by the 
thick integument, and become visible, only, after the integ- 
ument and the paxillæ are removed. 
The dorso-marginal plates are flattened, and have a 
triangular shape, with their acuminate part turned out- 
wards (Pl. IX, fig. 13, c). On the inferior surface of the 
acuminate part, there occurs a small knob-formed promin- 
ence, forming the articulatory surface for the paxilla. The 
broad part of the plate turns inwards, and rests with its 
1 A Note on the Characters of the genus Crossaster with the 
description of a new species, F. Jeffrey Bell. Ann. & Magaz. of 
Nat. Hist. 5th Ser. Vol. 8, pag. 140. 1881. 
