OPHIOLEPIDAE 321 



in brevirima, even in the large specimens, whereas in gelida they are contiguous 

 in the proximal part of the arms. Further, the buccal shields are on the whole smaller, 

 and the genital scales larger than in gelida, in which latter also the ventral side of 

 the arms is quite flat, not of such a ladder-like appearance as in the present species. 

 The arrangement of the arm spines is also different, the upper spine being placed 

 about at the middle of the lateral plate in brevirima, at the upper corner in gelida; 

 the spines are a little longer in brevirima (Fig. 38 a-c). The two species thus must be 

 regarded as quite distinct, but young specimens with the genital slits not yet typically 

 developed are scarcely distinguishable. 



O. gelida is thus no longer the only Ophiurid covered by sponge, as it was hitherto 

 supposed to be ; and it was even thought that the sponge covering was a sufficiently 

 certain character for recognizing the species (cf. Koehler, Austral. Antarct. Exped., 

 Echinod. Ophiuroidea, p. 81). Very probably the species brevirima has sometimes been 

 misidentified as O. gelida. Thus when Hertz (Deutsche Siidpolar Exped., Ophiuroiden, 

 p. 20) states: " Ich meine sonst zu bemerken, dass stark bewachsene Individuen eine 

 aufTallende Hohenentwicklung einzelner Skelettelemente zeigen, z. B. eine Art Auf- 

 wiilstung der Rander der Genitalspalten ", the suggestion may be made that such speci- 

 mens were in reality O. brevirima. 



Ophiurolepis Martensi (Studer) 



Ophioglypha Martensi, Studer, 1885. Die Seesterne Siid-Georgiens. Jahrb. wiss. Anst. Hamburg, 



n, p. 161, Taf. ii, fig. 8 a, b. 

 Ophiozo7ia inermis. Bell, 1902. Rep. Nat. Hist. Collections. 'Southern Cross'. Echinoderma, 



p. 217. 

 Ophioglypha resistens, Koehler, 191 1. Brit. Antarct. Exped. 1907-9. Asteries, Ophiures et 



Echinides, p. 42, pi. vii, figs. 9-12. 

 Amphiophiiira Martensi, H. L. Clark, 1915. Cat. Recent Ophiurans, p. 315. 

 A. resisteju, H. L. Clark, 1915. Cat. Recent Ophiurans, p. 315. 



HomalopJmira inermis, H. L. Clark, 1915. Cat. Recent Ophiurans, p. 326, pi. xx, figs. 3-4. 

 Ophiurolepis resistens, Koehler, 1922. Austral. Antarct. Exped. Echinod. Ophiuroidea, p. 74, 



pis. Ixxxvi, figs. 7-10, 18, 19; Ixxxviii, figs. 8-10; xc, figs. 7-22. 

 O. resistens, Koehler, 1923. Swedish Antarct. Exped. Asteries et Ophiures, p. 130. 

 O. resistens. Hertz, 1926. Deutsche Siidpolar-Exped. Ophiuroiden, p. 19. 

 O. resistens, Grieg, 1929. Some Echinoderms from the South Shetlands. Bergens Mus. Arbok, 



1929, 3, p. 6. 

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



Antarct. Exped., n, p. 8. 



St. 27. 15. iii. 26. West Cumberland Bay, South Georgia, no m. Several specimens. 



St. 39. 25. iii. 26. East Cumberland Bay, South Georgia, 179-235 m. 9 specimens. 



St. 42. I. iv. 26. Ofl^ mouth of Cumberland Bay, South Georgia, 120-204 m. 15 specimens. 



St. 123. 15. xii. 26. Off' mouth of Cumberland Bay, South Georgia, 230-250 m. Several 

 specimens. 



St. 140. 23. xii. 26. Stromness Harbour to Larsen Point, South Georgia, 122-136 m. Several 

 specimens. 



St. 141. 29. xii. 26. East Cumberland Bay, South Georgia, 17-27 m. i specimen. 



St. 144. 5. i. 27. Off mouth of Stromness Harbour, South Georgia, 155-178 m. 11 specimens. 



