OPHIOTHRICHIDAE 261 



Ophiopsila platyspina, Koehler 



Ophiopsila platyspina, Koehler, 1914. Meeresfauna Westafrikas. Echinoderma, p. 206, pi. viii, 

 figs. lO-II. 

 St. 283. 13. viii. 27. OflFAnnobon, Gulf of Guinea, 18-30 m. 6 specimens and some broken arms. 



Although Koehler 's description is based on only a single, poorly preserved specimen 

 there is scarcely anything to b; added. I would say that his statement that the dorsal 

 arm plates are covered with "ijros granules tres apparents" is a little exaggerated, as it 

 requires considerable magnification— some 25-30 times— to see them clearly, and with 

 such magnification the same thing can be seen in many other Ophiurids (also m 

 Ophiopsila guineensis, though not quite as conspicuous as in O. platyspina), owing to the 

 microscopic structure of the plates. 



The colour of the disk is rather variable ; one specimen shows a fine reticulation of 

 blackish and whitish, the others have some large irregular, blackish spots, surrounded 

 by whitish, on a reddish brown ground. The colour of the arms— reddish brown, with 

 a narrow band of blackish or dark grayish on about every fourth or fifth joint— is very 

 characteristic and makes even fragments of arms easily recognizable. 



Family OPHIOTHRICHIDAE 



Ophiothrix triglochis, Miiller and Troschel 



Ophiothiix triglochis, Miiller and Troschel, 1842. System d. Asteriden, p. 114. 



O. triglochis, Koehler, 1904. Opliiitrcs noiiveaux oil pen connites. Mem. Soc. Zool. France, 1904, 



p. 81. 

 O. triglochis, H. L. Clark, 1923. Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. Ann. S. African Mus., 



xni, p. 337. 

 O. triglochis, Mortensen, 1933. Echinoderms of South Africa. Papers from Dr Th. Mortensen s 

 Pacific Exped., xx (Vid. Medd. Dansk Naturh. Foren., 77), p. 337. 



Other literary references are given in my paper of 1933, he. cit. 



St. 90. 10. vii. 26. Simonstown, False Bay, South Africa, 10 m. 8 specimens. 

 St. 91. 8. ix. 26. Off' Roman Rock, False Bay, South Africa, 35 m. 2 specimens. 



Ophiothrix fragilis (Abildgard) 



Ophiothrix fragilis, H. L. Clark, 1923. Echinoderm Fauna of South Africa. Ann. S. African 



Mus., xni, p. 337. 

 O. fragilis, Mortensen, 1933. Danish TngoU'' Exped. Ophiuroidea, IV, 8, p. 45, pi. i, figs. 1-7. 

 For further literary references see my work on the 'Ingolf Ophiuroidea, loc. cit. 



1926. Saldanha Bay. Littoral. 3 specimens. 



