82 BULLETIN 84, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



times the radial shields can not be seen, but are quite hidden by the short disk 

 spines." Now, the Jardin des Plantes possesses one specimen of 0. ecJiinulata, from 

 the dredgings of the Blalce (the diameter of the disk reaches from 8 to 8.5 mm.), 

 in which the upper face shows the same characters as those of the Albatross speci- 

 mens which I have in hand, and the radial shields of which are small, separated, 

 and more or less liidden by the spines. This specimen was most hkely studied and 

 determhied by Lyman himself, and we have just seen that this writer admits some 

 variations in the shape and armature of the radial shields. I shall add that, in 

 their other characters, the specimens from the Albatross are altogether in con- 

 formity with that example from the Blalce, and they undoubtedly belong to the same 

 species, whichever name be given to the latter. 



On the other hand, Verrill, in 1899, thought it advisable to create for 0. ecJii- 

 nulata the subgenus Ophioscalus, which he characterizes especially by the large 

 bare widened radial sliields remauiing in contact almost on their whole length ; 

 these characters are borrowed from the description which Lyman had made in 1878 

 from his single example, but the correction made by that writer in 1883 is not 

 taken into account. A little later on, but stiU in 1899 (99a, p. 342), Verrill created 

 for an Ophiacantha which came from the dredguigs of the Blake and which Lyman 

 had sent to him under the name of 0. echinulata, a new species, to which he gave 

 the name of 0. pedinula and which he classifies in liis genus Ophiedodia, owing to 

 the arrangement of the oral papillis, to which I shall refer presently. Now, apart 

 from the character of the oral papillae, 0. pectinula is astonisliingly hke an 

 0. echinulata which is not provided with those widened radial shields which Lyman 

 pointed out in 1878, but presents the shape indicated by him in 1883. However, 

 in 0. pectinula there are on the distal side of the upper brachial plates very thin, 

 short, and pointed little spines, and this is undoubtedly the character which Verrill 

 wanted to recall in the specific name chosen by him. Now, I find agam these small 

 marginal spmes not only in the three examples from the National Museum, but also 

 in the specimen coming from the dredgings of the Blalce and kept at the Jardin 

 des Plantes. 



When describing 0. ecTiinulata, Lyman, who did not ascribe to the oral and 

 tooth papillse the same importance as VerriU afterwards gave them, says only that 

 the papiUse amovmt to from 11 to 14 in each mouth angle, the external papillae 

 being larger, and that the end of each jaw bears one or two papiUse which are 

 larger than the others. On the other hand, VerrUl characterizes his genus OpMec- 

 todia by the existence of extremely numerous oral papillae which build a bunch 

 or a double row on the level of the tentacular mouth pore; in his description of 

 0. pectinula he begms by mentioning a first series of four or five papillae which 

 build a regidar row, after which there appear on the level of the tentacular pore 

 five or six distal papillae. Now, I observe this arrangement in none of the specimens 

 which I have in hand; in these the oral papillae generally amount to five in aU and 

 form a regular row; they are elongated, conical, pointed, and the last two, which 

 stand on the level of the tentacular mouth pore but are not separated from the 

 preceding ones, are most generally either a httle longer or a little wider than the 

 other-s. As to the tooth papUlae, they vary in number and in size; they are some- 

 times two, sometimes three or four. But I repeat that I fail to find the slightest 



