﻿OPHIURA TERES. 



ratus, lowest arm-spines, and 

 rest purplisli brown. 



under arm- 



plates, yeUomsh white ; the 



Variations. — The mouth-shields may differ somewhat in shape, and 

 the under arm-plates may be hght brown. The radial shields are almost 

 always present, except in very large specimens. A small specimen had 

 a disk of 14°'°-, and arms of SS""- ; there were seven or eight arm-spines ; 

 most of the upper arm-plates were broken in only two pieces ; the color 

 was very dark umber, with fine, sinuous black lines on the disk. 



This species at once strikes the eye by its short, rounded arms, cov- 

 ered above by a multitude of irregular pieces. It is distinguished from 

 O. panamensis, by broken arm-plates, and proportionately shorter arms ; 

 from 0. variegata, by proportionately shorter arms, granulated side 

 mouth-shields, &c. It most resembles the dark variety of 0. cinerea 

 (O. Antillarum Ltk.) of the West Indies, but differs in having shorter 

 and more rounded arms. 



LIST OF SPECIMENS. 



