92 BULLETIN 75, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



rounded angles, much wider than long. Side arm plates very large, 

 somewhat swollen, meeting above and below; each plate carries three 

 arm spines, not half as long as joint, the uppermost of which is far- 

 ther from the other two than they are from each other. Oral tentacle 

 pores small, opening at some distance distal to the moutli slit, iind 

 guarded by one to three scales on each side; usually there are two 

 scales on one side and one on the other; first two tentacle pores of 

 arm with two minute scales, but succeeding pores have only a single 

 scale; there are neither scales nor pores at tip of arm. Color (dried 

 from alcohol), pale gray; arms nearly white. 



Locality.— xilhatross station 4878, Korea Strait, lat. 34° 18' 30" N.; 

 long. 130° 14' 30" E., 59 fathoms, fine gray sand, broken shells, 1 

 specimen. 



Type.— Ctit. No. 25539, U.S.N.M., from station 4878. 



There is considerable room for difference of opinion tis to whether 

 this species properly belongs in OpJiiura or not, but in view of the 

 fact that the genus as at present recognized is a very heterogeneous 

 group, and will have to be broken up into a number of genera, I think 

 it best to place glyptodisca here just now. The specimen may be 

 young, although the general appearance indicates full maturity, even 

 if not full size. 



ANTHOPHIURA, new genus.« 



Disk covered by the primary plates and radial shields with a very- 

 few large interradial plates. Centrodorsal plate elevated and con- 

 spicuously star or flower shaped (see fig. 32a). No upper arm plates 

 beyond second joint, and under arm plates confined to basal joints 

 of arm. No arm comb. Tentacle pores of arm with a single spine- 

 like tentacle scale. 



Type-species. — Anthophiura axiologa. 



This genus, although probably an offshoot from OpTiiura, does not 

 seem to be very nearly related to any other genus. While it resembles 

 Opliiopyrgus in some particulars, it differs in the absence of an arm 

 comb and in the shape of the centrodorsal plate, and moreover the 

 differences in tentacle scales, as well as in the form of the disk and 

 of the arms, are so great, the two can not be confused. There is also 

 a certain suggestion of OpJiiomastus in this new genus, but Ophio- 

 mastus has upper and under arm plates on the terminal part of the 

 arms and the tentacle scales are utterly different, to say nothing 

 of the centrodorsal plate. From Ophiomusium, Anthophiura is 

 readily distinguished by the large tentacle pores and peculiar tentacle 

 scales. 



a "Avdoc, signifying flower, and ocfac, signifying snake, and oupa, signifying tail, in 

 reference to the fiower-like appearance of the centrodorsal plate, and in keeping with 

 the name of the largest genus (and the class) of brittle-stars. 



