108 Transactions. 



Art. VIII. — Description of a New Ophiuroid. 



By H. Farquhar. 



Communicated by Professor H. B. Kirk. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 2nd October, 190".] 



Ophiocoma bollonsi, n. s. 



The disc is somewhat irregularly round, slightly swollen 

 above, with a thick rounded edge ; about 18 mm. in diameter. 

 The arms are about 60 mm. long, 3 mm. wide at the base, and 

 tapering evenly to a fine extremity. The disc is covered above 

 with rnicroscopica^y rough granules, evenly and closely placed 

 at the centre, but somewhat more open and irregular towards the 

 edge, with a few irregular bare patches ; the granules extend a 

 little beyond the edge of the disc on the plates of the oral sur- 

 face in the interbrachial spaces, where they are longer than 

 those above, a few being like small spinelets. The scaling on 

 the oral surface is fine and even. The mouth-angles have four 

 or five irregular, bluntly pointed mouth-papillae on each side, 

 those within smaller than the others. The tooth-papillae are very 

 numerous and small, like small bluntly-pointed spinelets. The 

 mouth-shields are round or slightly oval, with a small peak 

 within ; side mouth-shields triangular, with rounded angles and 

 emarginate sides, meeting, or almost meeting, within. The upper 

 arm-plates are diamond-shaped, with rounded angles, slightly 

 overlapping. The side arm-plates are prominent, meeting 

 neither above nor below ; they bear five or six (six near the 

 disc) rounded, somewhat flattened, tapering, bluntly pointed, 

 granular arm-spines, the lower ones shorter than those above ; 

 the length of the longest is 6 mm. There are two rounded, 

 leaf- like tentacle-scales, about twice as long as broad, on the 

 lower edge of the side arm-plates adjacent to the lowest arm- 

 spine. The under arm-plates are broader than long, and rounded 

 without. The colour of the dried specimen is chocolate -brown 

 above and paler below, the spines being brownish-grey. 



The unique type specimen, which is in the Dominion Museum 

 at Wellington, was dredged up by Captain Bollons, of the Go- 

 vernment steamer " Hinemoa," in 16 fathoms of water, between 

 Stephen Island and the mainland, when laying a telegraph 

 cable to Stephen Island lighthouse. This is the first species 

 of the genus Ophiocoma found in New Zealand waters. I have 

 to thank Mr. Hamilton, Director of the Dominion Museum, for 

 the opportunity of describing this species. 



The type specimens of Ophiactis nomentis, described in the 

 last volume of the Transactions, are in the Dominion Museum at 

 Wellington. 



