Hudskelettet paa Ryggen bestaar af smaa, ovale Kalkpla- 
der, som danne et massivt Net med yderst smaa Masker; paa 
Bugfladen aflange, flade Kalkplader, der danne Rækker og 
ere taglagte. Ingen Pedicellarier, ingen Spikler i Ambu- 
lacrerne. 
Artskarakter. 
Forholdet imellem den lille og store Radius som 1: 
12/3. Paa hver Adambulacralplade 5 Pigge, hvoraf 2 vende 
indad 1 Bugfuren og danne 1 Række paa hver Side; de 
øvrige 3 danne 3 Rækker udenfor Bugfuren. De ventrale 
Randplader bære 3—6 korte, stumpe Pigge. 
Madreporpladen nedsænket i den tykke Hud. 
gen rosenrød, Bugen gulrød. 
Ryg- 
Som det vil sees, have vi af denne Søstjerne dannet 
en ny Slægt, og vi skulle nu angive vore Grunde derfor. 
Ved første Øiekast skulde man tro, at man her havde med 
en Porama at gjøre; men en nærmere Undersøgelse peger 
næsten ligesaameget hen paa Slægten Asterina som paa 
Poramia. Den tykke, tilsyneladende glatte Hud, de store, 
ventrale Randplader, den skarpe, piggede Rand, der dannes 
udelukkende af de ventrale Randplader, — Alt dette har 
den aabenbart tilfælles med Poranta; men saa adskiller den 
sig fra denne derved, at saavel Ryg som Bug er overalt 
besat med fine, enkeltstaaende Pigge, at'Hudskelettet dan- 
ner paa Rygfladen et tæt, massivt Maskenet, bestaaende af 
smaa, ovale Kalkstykker, — en Eiendommelighed, hvorved den 
nærmer sig Slægten Asterina. 
Den staar saaledes efter vor Formening imellem de 
to nævnte Slægter uden egentlig at tilhøre nogen af dem, 
og derfor have vi fundet det rettest at danne en ny Slægt 
for den. 
Pteraster militaris, (0. Fr. Miller) Miller & Trosehel. 
Tab. XIII, Fig. 18, 19. 
1776. Asterias militaris, O. Fr. Miller. Zool. Dan. Prodr. 
pag. 234, No. 2828. 
1778. Asterzas militaris, Gmelm. System Nat. Linn. edit. 
XII, pag. 3160. 
1806. Astertas militaris, Ratke. Zool. Dan. Vol. TV, pag. 
13, Man Bil, 
is sharply defined, and formed solely by the ventro-mar- 
ginal plates, furnished with spines. The abactinal dermal 
skeleton consists of small oval calcareous plates, producing 
a massive reticulation with extremely small meshes. On 
the actinal surface the dermal skeleton consists of long 
flat calcareous plates which form imbricate series. There 
are no pedicellariæ. No spicule on the suckers. 
Specific Character. 
The disk radius bears to the brachial radius the pro- 
portion of, as 1: 17/3. On each ambulacral plate, there are 
5 spines, of which, 2turn towards the ventral furrow, and 
form a series on each of its lateral margins, whilst the 
remaining 3 spines, form 3 series outside the ventral fur- 
row. The ventro-marginal plates carry 3—6 short blunt 
spines. 
The madreporite is found, depressed in the thick in- 
tegument. The abactinal surface is rose coloured. The 
actinal, surface is orange coloured. 
It will be observed that we have formed a new genus 
for this starfish; and we shall now state our reasons for 
doing so. 
Å superficial examination of this starfish, might lead 
us to suppose, that we were, here, concerned with a spec- 
imen of the genus Poramia, but a closer examination, 
points almost as much to'the genus Asterzna. The thick, ap- 
parently smooth imtegument; the large ventro-marginal 
plates; the sharply defined spine-clad margin, formed by the 
ventro-marginal plates exclusively, are undoubtedly, features 
common to Poramia and Asterina; but it differs from Por- 
ania in this; that bothithe abactinal and actinal surfaces, 
are everywhere, beset with slender solitary spines; and fur- 
ther, that the dermal skeleton forms on the abactinal sur- 
face, a close massive reticulation, composed of small, oval 
calcareous ossicles, a peculiarity in which it approaches to 
the genus Asterina. 
It takes its place therefore, in our opinion, between 
the two genera referred to, without really belonging to 
either of them; and we have therefore considered it worthy 
of being assigned to a new genus. 
Pteraster militaris, (O. Fr. Miller) Miller & Troschel. 
Tab. XIIT, fig. 18. 19: 
1776. Asterias militaris, O. Fr. Miller. Zool. Dan. Prodr. 
pag. 234, No. 2828. 
1778. Asterias militaris, Gmelin. System Nat. Linn. edit. 
XII, peg. 3160. 
1806. Asterias militaris, Ratke. Zool. Dan. Vol. IV, pag. 
18, Tab, WBil. 
