352 Annals of the South African Museum. 



differed among themselves as to the nakedness of the radial shields. 

 I think there can be little doubt that Doderlein is right in suspect- 

 ing that Lyman's specimens were not tonga UK in but were identical 

 with the species, leonis, from Liideritzbucht, S.W. Africa. Doder- 

 lein's description and figures are quite sufficient but as there are 

 several specimens before me in the PIETER FAURE collection, I shall 

 add a few notes. As for tonganmn, I do not believe that Liitken's 

 specimen came from Tonga, and I think it is probably to be refer- 

 red to one of the West Indian species. Only one other Ophioderma 

 has been described or even recorded from the Indo-Pacific region; 

 this is the holotype of Koehler's species propinquum. Here again 

 however I am sceptical that the specimen ever came from the East 

 Indies ; but the species itself seems to be valid. 



The specimens from South Africa, now at hand, range from 17 

 to 25 mm. in disk-diameter; the arms are about three times as 

 much. In the smallest- specimen, the radial shields are all visible 

 and similar; in another, 9 are visible but unequal and irregular; in 

 the other specimens they are completely concealed as in Doderlein's 

 specimens. This accounts for Mr. Lyman's statement (apropos ton- 

 yunum) "occasionally radial shields naked". I am inclined to think 

 that in the young the radial shields are naked but become covered 

 at full maturity (Doderlein's specimens were all 17 mm. or more 

 in disk-diameter) but it may be purely a matter of individual diver- 

 sity. A large specimen, with gaping mouth slits reveals the inter- 

 esting fact that the tentacle-scale of the first oral pore is a long, 

 thick and very conspicuous papilla. The adoral plates are very 

 small and naked, as is well-shown in Doderlein's figure ; his descrip- 

 tion, saying they are for the most part granulated, does not seem 

 to me accurate. Curiously enough, one of the PIETER FAURE spec- 

 imens, shows exactly the same fusion of an oral shield (apparently 

 the madreporite) with an adoral plate which is so well shown in 

 Doderlein's figure. The colouration of the present specimens is 

 somewhat diversified; only two are gray, like Doderlein's, while 

 three are very dark olive-brown, nearly black, above, and yellow or 

 whitish beneath ; in one of these, the transition from dark to light 

 is very abrupt but in the others it is gradual ; one specimen is uni- 

 formly rather bright yellow-brown. 



S.A.M. No. 3013. False Bay, Cape Colony; littoral. Dr. Purcell 

 coll. 3 specimens; adult. 



P. F. 14714. Saldanha Bay, Cape Colony ; littoral. 2 specimens; adult. 



P.F. 18282. False Bay, Cape Colony; 8-10 fins. R. 1 spec- 

 imen; adult. 



