Vol. 34, pp. 109-110 June 30, 1921 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THK 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



V^. 



A NEW OPHIURAN OF THE GENUS OPHIOPSILA FROM -^■' - 

 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



BY AUSTIN H. CLARK.» 



Of the curious genus Ophiopsila ten species have been des- 

 cribed from various locaUties in the warmer portions of the 

 world. These ten species are: 0. aranea Forbes, 1843, Medi- 

 terranean; 0. annulosa Sars, 1857, Mediterranean; riisei 

 Liitken, 1859, West Indies; O.fulva Lyman, 1878, West Indies; 

 0. pantherina Koehler, 1898, East Indies; 0. maculata Verrill, 

 1899, West Indies; 0. paucispina Koehler, 1907, Mozambique; 

 0. hartmeyeri Kcehler, 1913, West Indies; 0. polystida H. L. 

 Clark, 1915, West Indies; and 0. polyacantha H. L. Clark, 1915, 

 East Indies. 



The new species described below is the first to be reported 

 from the Pacific coast of America. 



Ophiopsila californica, sp. nov. 



The disk is 4.5 mm. in diameter; the arms are about 25 mm. long. 



The dorsal surface of the disk is covered with very thin minute rounded 

 overlapping scales, appearing naked except under close examination. The 

 radial shields are very narrow, long-triangular, with the distal border 

 upturned and swollen. 



The upper arm plates are about as long as broad, the angles well rounded, 

 the sides slightly convex. The arm spines are five in number, broad and 

 flattened ; the lowest is much the longest and narrowest, half again to twice 

 as long as the next, which resembles it; the other three are short, broad, 

 flat, rounded distally, the uppermost slightly the longest. 



The oral shields are half again as broad as long, triangular, the angles, 

 especially the lateral, rounded, the anterior sides slightly concave, the 

 median third of the distal border occupied by a prominent posterior pro- 

 cess. 



The side mouth shields are very small and narrow, inconspicuous and 

 difficult to make out. 



1 Published with the permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 20— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.. Vol. 34, 1921. (109) 



