REPORT ON THE OPHIUROIDEA. 201 



Ophiolebes vestitus, Lym. (PI. XII. figs. 10-12). 



Ophiolebes vestitus, Lym., Bull. Mus. Conip. ZooL, voL v., part 7, p. 159, pi. x. figs. 255-257, 

 1878. 



Disk covered by thick skin and set with short stumps, or grains, bearing a crown of 

 blunt thorns. Arm spines short, stout, opaque, thorny. Mouth papillae stout, blunt, 

 spiniform. 



(Type specimen from Station 308.) Diameter of disk 10 mm. Length of arm 

 50 mm. Width of arm without spines 2'3 mm. Nine mouth papillae, of which the 

 lateral are stout, blunt, cylindrical, crowded, somewhat movable, and with rough ends ; 

 the innermost is flat and squarish, like the teeth. Mouth shields small, wider than long, 

 with a lobe without and an obtuse angle inward ; length to breadth, 1 : 1*2. Side mouth 

 shields somewhat curved, extending beyond mouth shield, wider without than within, 

 where they meet. Under arm plates pentagonal, with a rounded angle inward. Upper 

 arm plates fan shaped, with a truncated angle inward. Side arm plates meeting 

 narrowly above and below, projecting but slightly. Disk a little puffed, covered by thick 

 skin, and sparsely but regularly beset with short stumps or grains bearing a crown of 

 blunt thorns. Six stout, cylindrical, blunt, thorny arm spines ; lengths to that of an 

 arm joint, T8, 1*2, 1, '8, "8, '8 : "8. One small, narrow, pointed tentacle scale. Colour 

 in alcohol, white. 



A young specimen with a disk of 4 mm. had arms 10 mm. long. The disk stumps 

 were longer, and Hke very short thick spines. The arm spines were less thorny. In 

 this stage it is very near the Ophiuran described by Ljungman as Ophiactis clavigera, 

 which has the same habits also, and is doubtless the young of a form of Ophiolebes, like 

 the present one. It differs in having the disk-scales and part of the radial shields 

 naked. 



That Ophiolebes claviger is of a novel type is shown by the fact that Ljungman 

 considered it an extreme modification of Opjhiactis, while Ltttken deemed it nearer 

 Ophiacantha. 



Station 307.— January 4, 1876 ; lat. 49° 24' S., long. 74° 23' W. ; 147 fathoms 

 mud. Station 308.— January 5, 1876 ; lat. 50° 10' S., long 74° 42' W.; 175 fathoms 

 mud. Station 310.— January 10, 1876 ; lat. 51° 30' S., long. 74° 3' W.; 400 fathoms 

 mud. 



Species of Ophiolebes not herein described. 



Ophiolebes claviger, Lym. 



Ojihiadis clavigera, Ljn., Tilliigg Skan. Oph. Of. Kong. Akad., p. 365, 186-i; Opk. Viv. Of. 

 Kong. Akad., p. 325, 18G6. 



South Norway ; 200 to 300 fathoms. 



