268 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



Amphiura poecila. 

 H. L. Clark, 1915. Mem. M. C. Z., 25, p. 230. 



Mr. Gabriel has found this species not uncommon at W esternport, 

 Victoria, in company with A. constricta and has sent nine specimens, 

 all of which are smaller than the type and none has the purple variega- 

 tion of the upper arm-plates, from which the species received its 

 name. Whether this lack of color is due to bleaching in the alcohol, 

 there is no means of determining. It may be due to 3'outhfulness, 

 or the coloration of the holotype may be a matter of individual 

 diversity. 



Amphiura stimpsonii. 

 Lutken, 1859. Add. ad Hist. Oph., pt. 2, p. 116. 



We dredged at the Tortugas in 7-8 fms. a brittle-star with the disk 

 6 mm. across which resembles A. stimpso7iii so closely in all details 

 of structure that it must be the adult of that species, the largest speci- 

 men of which, hitherto known, is only 4 mm. across the disk. The 

 Tortugas specimen is also notable for its coloration; a very pale 

 yellow with a longitudinal stripe of bright orange on the upper surface 

 of each arm; this stripe has faded greatly since preservation. There 

 are as a rule 6 arm-spines, with 7 on one or two joints. The arms are 

 all broken. 



Amphiura vivipara, sp. nov. 



Plate 1, fig. 1, 2. 



Holotype— M. C. Z. 4,129, and numerous Paratypes, M. C. Z. 

 4,130, 4,189. British W^est Indies: Tobago, Buccoo Bay, April, 1916, 

 in coralline Algae and among coral fragments. Carnegie Expedi- 

 tion. H. L. Clark coll. 



Disk, 3.5 mm. in diameter; arms five, about 18 mm. long. Disk 

 covered by a coat of fine, much overlapping scales, among which the 

 primaries can be distinguished with some difficulty; there are about 

 a dozen series of scales in the interradial areas at the narrowest point; 

 the interbrachial areas below are covered by a close coat of equally 

 fine scales. Radial shields not quite equal to half the radius of the 

 disk, narrow, the width only one third to one half the length; distally 

 they are usually in contact but proximally they are separated by a 



