Of the Order Opbiuridse. Ifl | 



Frequent among the islands of the Archipelago, in similar situations to those 

 in which we find it in Britain. Most common among the rocks near the waters 

 edge. 



3. Amphiura Chiajii, Forbes. Tab. XIV. fig. 14—18. 



A. disco squamis minutis rosulatis, scuteUis cuneatis divergentibus apicibus 

 approximatis, squamis radiorum superioribus lenticularibus: inferioribus 

 quadratis sulcatis : lateralibus 4-spiniferis spinis longis, simplicibus. 



Ophiura filiformis, Delle Chlaje (not of Mailer). 



Diam. disc. T ^ unc. ; long. rad. If unc. 



Disc pentagonal, flat, scaly, the scales very small; two wedge-shaped shields opposite the 

 origin of each ray, superiorly touching, inferiorly diverging. Upper ray-scales lens- 

 shaped, lower ones square and longitudinally sulcatcd*. lateral ray-plates bearing -i 

 spines each, which are longer than the breadth of the ray, acute, simple, and all of one 

 form, therein differing from those of Amphiura fil'ifornris, to which species it bears ■ 

 great resemblance and was very naturally referred by Delle Chiaje. The ovarian pistes 

 are subpentagonal and small. The rays are generally 7 or 8 times as long as the disc 

 is broad, but their length varies in different specimens. The rays are yellowish, with 

 an orange line down their centres; the disc is of a dull purplish-brown, with a bright 

 yellow spot on each shield and a yellow margin. The cirrhi are long, simple and 

 white. 



It lives in soft mud, in various depths from 10 to 120 fathoms, throughout 

 the Archipelago and on the coast of Asia Minor. 



Genus Ophiothrjx, Midler and Troschel. 



This genus was constituted for the reception of Ophiura rosula and its aUies, 

 referred by Agassiz, and afterwards by myself, to Ophiocoma, which MQller 

 and Troschel restrict to Ophiura granulata and some allied species. With this 

 arrangement I entirely concur, and propose the following revised character 

 for Ophiothrix: 



Corpus orbiculare, spinosum, ad peripheriam radiatum ; radiis simplicibus squamosis ; squa- 

 mis superioribus imbricatis ; lateralibus carinatis spiniferis, spinis serrulatis ; ossicuh* 

 ovarialibus parvis, oralibus ad Jatera nudis ,• cirrhis pinnatis. 



Ophiothrix rosula. 



Ophiura rosula and Ophiocoma rosula of authors. 



