20 BULLETIN 84, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



victorix (12, p. 118). The dorsal plates, instead of having their usual regularly 

 trapezoidal shape with a wider and convex distal edge, are irregular, much wider 

 than long and most of them are divided into two almost equal parts by a longi- 

 tudinal furrow located close to the median line. The ventral plates are not so 

 irregular. The first seven keep nearly their normal shape; the eighth one, which 

 is large, is irregularly divided m its distal region; the ninth and tenth plates, 

 smaller than usual, are divided into two by an oblique furrow, and lastly the fol- 

 lowing plates are scarcely modified. The first two lateral plates on one side carry 

 no spines and the following plate has but two spines; on the other side, the first 

 plate is deprived of spines, the second one has three. Then the succeeding plates 

 on each side generally carry four spines each, the dorsal spine being separated from 

 the other three, and this abnormal arrangement of the spines is continued not only 

 on that part which has abnormal upper and under plates, but also on about ten articles 

 beyond that part. On the other arms of the same example, which never met with 

 an accident, the brachial spines most regularly amount to three, the upper spine 

 being separated from the other two. VerriU, moreover, has pointed out the fact 

 that in 0. grandis the lower group of spmes sometimes included three. 



OPHIOGLYPHA LEPIDA Lyman. 



Plate 3, fig. 2. 



OpMoglypha lepida Lyman (78), p. 70, pi. 3, figs. 71-73. 

 Ophioghjpha lepida Lyman (82), p. 43, pi. 4, figs. 1-3. 

 OpMoglypha lepida Lyman (83), p. 241. 

 OpMoglypha lepida Verrill (85), p. 543. 

 OpMoglypha lepida Kcehler (07), p. 294. 



Albatross station 2106. Nov. 6, 1883. Lat. 37° 41' 20" N.; long. 73° 03' 

 20" W.; 1,497 fathoms; glob, oz.; temp. 42.5° F. Twenty-nine specimens. 



The specimens are generall}^ of large size; in the smallest one, the diameter 

 of the disk reaches almost 10 mm. and in several others it comes up to 14 or 15 

 mm. They conform to Lyman's description, excepting with regard to the number 

 of the brachial spines. In fact, I only find as an exception the four spines indi- 

 cated by him; generally there are but three, two lower ones which form a small 

 group and an upper one which is larger. Verrill also seems to have observed but 

 three spines, for he says: "There is a single larger upper spine rather widely sep- 

 arated from the two lower and much smaller ones, etc."' I have never met with 

 the very small spines which are scattered on the upper face of the disk in a var. 

 spinulosa introduced by Verrill (85, p. 543). 



0. lepida is extremely near 0. Ijungmani, and it would be even more so than 

 Lyman thought if the usual number of its spines were three. I beg to state that 

 in the descriptions given l)y Lyman of each of these two species there is a contra- 

 diction regarding the characters of the radial shields, which is likely to produce 

 confusion. For we read, regardmg 0. lepida, in the very short diagnosis (82, p. 

 43) which goes before the detailed description: "radial shields touching without," 

 and in the description itself which comes after ^ "Kadial shields separated on their 



• Report ot the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for 18S3, 1S85, p. 543. 

 » The voyage of the CItalknger, Zoology, vol. 5, p. 44, 6th line. 



