SEA LTLIES, STARFISHES, ETC. CLARK. 75 



Family BRISINGIDiE. 



Genus Odinia, Perrier. 



Odinia australis,! sp. nov. 



(Plate xxvii., fig. 1-2.) 



Rays 14. R = 100 mm. ; r=8 mm. ; R = 12.5 r. Br= 

 "2.5 mm. Br where arm is widest (about 13 mm. from centre 

 of disk) 5 mm. ; at middle of arm, about 2 mm. Disk dis- 

 tinctly elevated above arm-bases, thickly plated, the plates 

 without any definite arrangement but bearing minute pointed 

 spinelets and countless pedicellarige ; papulae very numerous, 

 but usually, if not always single. Bases of arms, connected 

 by marginal plates for only 2-3 mm. beyond the disk. Arms 

 narrow at base, then suddenly swollen and often about 10 mm., 

 gradually but quickly returning to the same width as at base ; 

 as far as they are swollen, they are covered by plates, spinelets, 

 papulae and pedicellariae like the disk, but beyond the sweUing 

 a thin skin crowded with minute pedicellariae is their only 

 covering. Along each side of arm is a series of vertical plate- 

 groups (apparently not more than 3 plates to a group distally), 

 occurring at intervals of 2-3 mm. or about 3 adambulacral 

 plates ; on the swollen basal portion of arm these series 

 extend to medioradial line and the two of opposite sides may 

 unite to form a very narrow band across the arm, but these 

 bands are often incomplete, much bent or otherwise irregular ; 

 they are faintly indicated distal to the swollen region but only 

 for a short distance. The first 2 or 3 of these bands carry no 

 spines, only acute, conical spinelets dorsally hke those on the 

 neighbouring abactinal plates, but on the third or fourth 

 band, the lowest plate (adjoining the adambulacral) carries 

 a spine about a milhmeter long ; on succeeding bands this 

 spine increases in length and at the middle of the arm and 

 beyond is 4 mm. long ; on the fifth or sixth band a second 

 spine, just above the first appears and it too increases in length 

 but never quite equals the first ; on the seventh or eighth 

 vertical group (corresponding to the " bands ") a third spine 

 appears but this remains distinctly shorter than the other 

 two ; in life, these spines are apparently covered with a loose 

 membrane, which is densely clothed with, minute pedicellarise, 

 but after capture, probably owing to the rough journey in the 

 trawl, much of this membrane is commonly wanting. Adambu- 

 lacral plates rather longer than broad ; at base of arm, their 

 armature consists of two spines, a very slender, acicular spine 

 on the aboral end of the plate, \^ath 2-3 minute pedicellarise 



1. AuMralis=so\itheTn ; in reference to its being the first species of the 

 genus to be taken in the Southern Hemisphere. 



