1915.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 71 



Amphipholis japonica sp. nov. 



This species is extremely near A. squamata, being distinguished 

 from it merely by certain trifling differences. I have compared the 

 Japanese material with specimens of A. squamata from Naples. In 

 Neapolitan specimens the arms are two and a half to three times as 

 long as the disk diameter, while in Japanese specimens they are 

 three to four times as long as the same. The distal margin of the 

 ventral arm plates of Neapolitan specimens is nearly straight, while 

 that of Japanese specimens is considerably convex. In the last 

 character the present species resembles A. australiana H. L. Clark, 

 differing, however, from that species in the more numerous disk 

 scales of the dorsal side and in the coarser disk scales of the ventral 

 side. The radial shields have each a white spot at the outer end, 

 quite as \n A. squamata. 



Like A. squamata, the present species is viviparous. In summer, 

 the larger individuals contain- several embryos. I once dissected 

 out six embryos from an adult. Animals containing full-grown 

 embryos appear to give birth to them the night after they are placed 

 in an aquarium. 



This species is common in the neighborhood of jNIisaki, and is 



found living under stones on fine sand. As to the sensibility of this 



species to the coarseness of sand, the following observations were 



made at Arai Beach, Misaki Marine Biological Station. In the 



summer of 1910, the beach was at first abundantly supplied with 



small areas among rocks covered with fine sand, and this ophiuran 



was found very abundantly; after a heavy storm, very few individuals 



were found, owing to the fact that the spots with fine sand were 



mostly wiped out. In the summer of 1911, the spots with fine sand 



were very few, and this ophiuran was seldom found. In the summer 



of 1912, the beach was entirely covered with coarse sand, and I 



could no more find this ophiuran. It is a very active species, quickly 



concealing itself in the sand when the stone is turned up. 



Amphiura vadicola^ sp. nov. 



? Ophionephthys phalerata Marktanner-Turneretscher (non Lyman, 1874), 

 Ann. K. K. Naturhist. Hofmus., II, 1887, p. 301. 



Diameter of disk 8 mm. Length of arms 260 mm. Width of 

 arms at base 1 mm; at the widest part 1.3 mm. Disk five-lobed, 

 with indented interbrachial borders, covered by a soft, naked skin, 

 except along inner and abradial borders of radial shields, where 



^ The interesting life habits of this ophiuran were described by the late Prof. 

 Mitsukuri and Prof. Hara: The Ophiurian Shoal, Annot. Zool. Jap., I, 1897, 

 p. 68. 



