﻿AMPIIIURA SQUAMATA. 



121 



of disk ; about 130 to a square mm. ; those below rather smaller. Ra- 

 dial shields narrow, pointed within, with straight sides ; inner ends only 

 separated by a scale, joined for the rest of their length ; length to 

 breadth, .7 : .3. Arm-spines four, a little way out only three ; short, 

 rounded, tapering but slightly, blunt, stout, with a rounded point; 

 nearly equal, but the two lower ones a trifle longer than the two upper; 

 the middle spine is stoutest and bluntest of all, and a little rough under 

 the microscope; length to that of under arm-plate (fifteenth joint), .4:. 3. 

 Tentacle-scales two, standing at right angles to each other ; inside one 

 lying along lateral side of under arm-plate ; the free edges of both 

 curved. Color, dry : disk, above, white, arms faded neutral tint ; below, 

 much paler. 



Variations. — The mouth-shields may be proportionately longer and 

 sharper, or shorter and blunter. The arms above may be irregularly 

 bancled with lighter. Dr. LeConte gives the color as " pale gray, arms 

 marked with scattered brown spots." 



This species is distinguished from A. oceidentalis and from A. atra 

 by the different forms of the under arm-plates and mouth-shields. 



LIST OF SPECIMENS. 



■Whence obtained. 



Museum of Comparative Zoology. 

 244 I 1109 1 1 I Panama. | | Dr. J. LeConte. | Dried. 



Smithsonian Institution. 

 1199 I . . I 2 I Panama. | [ Dr. J. LeConte. | Dried. 



1 ' i 



Amphiura squamata Sars. 



Asterias squamata Delle Chiaje, Memorie, m. p. 77. 1828. 

 Ophiura neglecla Johnston. Mag. Nat. Hist., p. 467. 1835. 

 Ophiocoma neglecta Forbes. Brit. Starfishes, p. 30. 1841. 

 Ophiolepis squamata Mull. & Trosch. Syst. Asteriden, p. 92. 1842. 

 Ophiolepis (^Amphiura) squamata Sars. Middelhav. Lit. Fauna, 11. p. 84. 1857. 

 Ophiolepis tenuis Ayres. Proceed. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., IV. p. 133. 1852. 

 Amphiura tenuis Lyman. Proceed. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., VII. p. 194. 18G0. 



Special Marks. — Arms from two and a half to four and a half times 

 the diameter of the disk. Three regular, tapering, blunt spmes ; the 

 two lowest equal, the uppermost a little stouter. 



