OPHIOLHPIDAE 3" 



divergent, scarcely joining distally. The arm spines are slender, pointed, not yet broad 

 and flattened as in the adult. There are already four tentacle scales — or rather papillae — 

 at the proximal pore pairs. 



This species is not viviparous ; it has separate sexes, there being in both sexes a series 

 of gonads along both the adradial and the interradial side of the bursal slit. The eggs are 

 very small, a fact which indicates that the species may have a typical Ophiopluteus larva. 



It was quite a surprise to me, when seeing the type specimen of Bell's Ophhiro 

 Koe/i/eri, which was sent me for examination from the British Museum, to find that it 

 was identical with Koehler's Ophioperla Liidwigi. From the very poor description given 

 by Bell nobody could imagine what the species would be like, and the fact that Bell did 

 not give any figures of it, together with the erroneous statements that the disk is covered 

 by smooth skin (it is a dense covering of very fine granules), and that the lower arm 

 spines are deeply imbedded in the skin, could only be misleading and bewildering. Thus 

 it came about that the species dedicated by Bell to Koehler was dedicated again un- 

 awares by Koehler to Ludwig. As for Bell expressing his regret that he had not " some- 

 thing better to offer to the honour of the distinguished French naturalist who has done 

 so much for our knowledge of Ophiuroids ", there was in reality only reason to regret 

 the bad description he gave; the species is good and interesting enough, and must 

 henceforth bear Koehler's name instead of that of Ludwig. Fortunately, this necessary 

 change of name does not do much harm scientifically, the species having only very few 

 times been mentioned in literature. 



Ophionotus victoriae, Bell 



Ophionotus victoriae. Bell, 1902. Rep. Nat. Hist. Collections 'Southern Cross'. Echinoderma, 



p. 219, pi. xxviii. 

 O. victoriae, Koehler, 1912. IP Exped. Antarct. Franfaise. Echinodermes, p. 114, pis. x, 



figs. 2-4, 12-13; xi, fig. 8. 

 O. victoriae, Koehler, 1922. Austral. Antarct. Exped. Echinod. Ophiuroidea, p. 51. 

 O. victoriae, Koehler, 1923. Swedish Antarct. Exped. Asteries et Ophiures, p. 124. 

 O. victoriae. Hertz, 1926. Deutsche Siidpolar-Exped. Ophiuroiden, p. 16. 

 O. victoriae. Hertz, 1927. Deutsche Tiefsee-Exped. Ophiuroiden, p. 67. 

 O. victoriae, Grieg, 1929. Echinodermata from the Palmer Archipelago. Sci. Results Norwegian 



Antarct. Exped., 1927-29, n, 9. 



28. ii. 27. Port Foster, Deception Island, South Shetlands, 5-60 m. 1 1 specimens. 



2. iii. 27. Bransfield Strait, South Shetlands, 200 m. i specimen. 



II. iii. 27. Schollaert Channel, Palmer Archipelago, 160-330 m. 10 specimens. 



30. iii. 27. Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetlands, 391 m. 14 specimens. 



6. iii. 30. 4 cables S of Cook Island, South Sandwich Islands, 155-322 m. 7 specimens. 



14. iii. 30. I mile E of Montagu Island, South Sandwich Islands, 99-161 m. 3 specimens. 



18. x. 30. I mile E of Bouvet Island, 40-45 m. Several specimens. 



19. X. 30. 7 miles S 50° W of Cape Circumcision, Bouvet Island, 357-377 m. 10 speci- 



There are further a number of specimens from Deception Island, South Shetlands, 

 25-30 fathoms, without exact dates. 



DXII 15 



