REPORT ON THE OPHIUROIDEA. K51 



bone, in a way that brings to mind Ophiothrix. Ophionereis is found in shallow tropical 

 waters all over the world, and yet is remarkable for its few species and their close 

 resemblance. 



See Plate XL. fio\s. 13-15. 



Table of Species of Op>hionereis. 



Disk scales very fine and thin, 13-15 to a millimetre in centre of upper disk, ) 



and in interbrachial spaces below, ) Ophionereis dubia. 



II 



OJ - 

 Cj 



Extremely like Ophionereis dubia save in colour (a purple patch outside \ 



mouth shields, and in general light yellowish). In young perhaps disk !> Ophionereis reticulata. 

 scales are coarser, . . . . . . ) 



Very like Ophionereis reticulata, except middle arm spine usually longer; | 



disk scales of young coarser. Colour olive, with purple arm bands, . ) °P Moncreis omaOata. 



Scaling coarsest of all, with numerous larger scales. At centre of disk about 



ng coarsest ot all, with numerous larger scales. At centre ot disk about 1 



9 in the length of a millimetre. Young with scales decidedly thickened, I llom,elt > 1"" ' ' ' 



gg i Scaling about the same as in Ophionereis dubia, .... Ophionereis schayeri. 



5 11 



■* 5* ( Sealing coarser than in the preceding species, with more large scales, . Ophionereis albomaculala. 



Ophionereis dubia, Lym., 111. Cat. Mus. Comp. Zool., No. i. p. 149, 1865 ; 

 V. Martens, Wieg. Archiv, vol. xxxvi. p. 246. 



Ophiure, Savigny, Descr. de l'Egypte Echin., pi. i. figs. S 1 -^ 10 , 1809-25. 



Ophiolepis dubia, Mull. & Tr., Syst. Ast., p. 94. 



Ophionereis crassispina, Ljn., Oph. Viv. Of. Kong. Akad., p. 311, 1866. 



Professor P. M. Duncan 1 writes this species Ophionereis dubia, Audouin. Here is 

 one more example of the troubles that come from placing authorities according to honour 

 or credit, instead of using them as parts of an exact and convenient system of registra- 

 tion. Anybody who is acquainted with the tradition of the Jardin des Plantes knows 

 that Audouin is not entitled to the " credit of discovery and exact representation." 

 Savigny discovered the species and had it drawn. When, after long delay in the publi- 

 cation, Savigny broke down, Audouin was appointed to edit this part of the work. His 

 editing was such as only Carlyle could properly describe ! 



It is hardly needful to add that a student, seeing the name Ophionereis dubia, 

 Audouin, might well hunt for a week, only to find at last that Audouin never called it 

 by either of those names, did not describe it, and, in fact, knew nothing about it. 



Fiji Islands, same species ? Gomera, Canary Islands, same species ? Amboyn;i ; 

 100 fathoms. 



1 Linn. Soc. Jour. Zool., vol. xiv. p. 404. 



