250 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Art. XXVI. — Description of a New Ophiurid. 



By H. Farquhar. 



Communicated by the Secretary. 



\Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 12th March, 1901.} 



Amphiura aster, n. sp. 



A number of specimens of what I believe to be a new 

 species of Amphiura have been placed in my hands by 

 Mr. A. Haylock. They were found by Mr. Percy Allen at 

 Timaru, in the sand at low water. 



Diameter of the disc, 10 mm.; length of arm, about 

 136 mm. ; width of arm near the disc, without spines, 1 mm. 

 The disc is pentagonal, constricted in the interbrachial spaces, 

 covered above and below with small rounded irregular scales. 

 Near the centre of the disc the scales do not usually overlap, 

 and around the radial shields they are larger and longer than 

 elsewhere; below they are more regular than above. Eadial 

 shields large, long, and swollen, broader without than within, 

 separated by a wedge of scales, meeting or almost meeting 

 without. A pair of short, blunt, rounded mouth papillae at 

 the apex of the mouth-angle, and one, spiniform, tapering, 

 and pointed, on each side. Mouth-shields rather small, shield- 

 shaped ; madreporic shield large, swollen, and oval. Side 

 mouth-shields much broader without than within, meeting 

 within. Arms long and slender, tapering evenly to very fine 

 extremities. First under arm-plate small, squarish, rounded 

 within ; second and third longer than broad, and narrower 

 than those beyond, which are squarish, with rounded angles. 

 Side arm-plates small, with strong spine-ridges, meeting 

 neither above nor below. Upper arm-plates oval, broader 

 than long ; the first two or three are absent in all specimens 

 examined by me (12), except a young one, in which they are 

 small and disconnected, evidently disappearing ; sometimes 

 those near the base of the arms are split in two longitudinally. 

 Arm-spines subequal, somewhat flattened, six or seven near 

 the disc, five further out, and four towards the tips of the 

 arms. Tentacle pores very large. Two very small tentacle 

 scales to each pore near the disc and one beyond. Colour of 

 dried specimens pale-yellowish, sometimes tinged with red or 

 brown ; arms sometimes banded with grey. 



Type specimens in the Canterbury Museum. 



