NORTH PACIFIC OPHIURANS IN NATIONAL MUSEUM CLARK. 77 



OPHIURA SCULPTILIS. 



Ophiogtypha sculptilis LYMAN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 5, 1878, p. 84. 

 Ophioglypha variabilis LYMAN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 5, 1878, p. 85. 

 Ophiura sculptilis MEISSNER, Bronn's Thierreichs, vol. 2, pt. 3, 1901, p. 925. 



Locality. Albatross station 4928, southeast of Yakushima Island, 

 Japan, lat. 29 51' N.; long. 131 2' 30" E., 1,008 fathoms, gray 

 sand, globigerina ooze, bottom temperature 36.8, 3 specimens. 



I have compared these specimens, which have the disk about 9 

 mm. in diameter, with a cotype of variabilis (Challenger station 195, 

 off Amboina), and with numerous specimens from the West Indies, 

 and I have no doubt of the correctness of the identification. I have 

 also examined, in connection with these specimens, a cotype of 

 0. sculptilis Lyman (Challenger station 237, off Japan), which is 

 of almost exactly the same size and proportions as the cotype of 

 variabilis, and I am forced to the conclusion that the two are conspe- 

 cific. Koehler has expressed the view that while sculptilis and 

 variabilis are very closely allied they seem to be constantly different 

 in the oral papillae and the arrangement of scales just proximal to the 

 radial shields. I do not find that these trivial differences hold in the 

 series before me, and it seems to me necessary to unite the two nominal 

 forms under the name sculptilis, which has the priority of one page 

 over the very appropriate name variabilis. The number of arm 

 spines is given by Lyman as "six" in sculptilis and "four or five" in 

 variabilis; at the base of the arm, however, there are commonly six 

 or seven and not rarely eight. The Challenger specimen of variabilis 

 has six or seven, the Albatross specimen has seven, and on one joint 

 eight, and several of the Blake specimens have eight on one or more 

 of the arm joints. After the first half dozen joints the number is 

 commonly four or five. 



OPHIURA PONDEROSA. 



Ophioglypha pondcrosa LYMAN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 5, 1878, p. 93. 

 Ophiura pondcrosa MEISSNER, Bronn's Thierreichs, vol. 2, pt. 3, 1901, p. 925. 



Localities. Albatross station 2853, off Alaska, hit. 56 N. ; long. 

 154 20' W., 159 fathoms, gray sand, bottom temperature 41, 3 

 specimens; station 2858, off Alaska, lat. 58 17' X. ; long. 148 36' W., 

 230 fathoms, blue mud, gravel, bottom temperature 39.8, 2 speci- 

 mens; station 2861, off Alaska, hit. 51 14' X. ; long. 129 50' W., 204 

 fathoms, bottom?, bottom temperature 42.6, 1 specimen; station 

 3126, off California, lat. 36 49' 20" X.; long. 122 12' 30" W., 456 

 fathoms, green mud, bottom temperature?, 6 4 specimens; station 

 3337, off Alaska, lat. 53 55' 30" X.; long. 163 26' W., 280 fathoms, 

 green mud, bottom temperature 39.3, 43 specimens; station 3339, 



a Investigator Deep Sea Oph., 1899, p. 20. 



&The published temperature for this station is obviously erroneous, as shown by the 

 context. 



