OPHIUBANS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 83 



trace of these special papillae which should form a bunch or a double row so as to 

 build for the mouth pore that particular covering indicatetl by Verrill. 



I can not, therefore, give to my specimens the name of Ophiectodm pecfinula 

 and I retain for them the name of OpMacantha echinulata. Besides, there can be 

 no objection to that species being classified in the subgenus Ophioscalus of VerrUl. 



Thus 0. echinulata remains well characterized by the jiecuUar covering of the 

 upper face of the disk, wiiich may liide, more or less completely, the radial sliields, 

 and the latter offer, in their shaj)e and size, tlie variations indicated by Lyman. 

 The species is also featured by the tentacular scale of the bracliial pores, which is 

 extremely long, narrow, very much pointed and rough, and almost as long as the 

 corresponding under brachial plate; often, but not always, there are two scales on 

 the first tentacular braclual pore; the under brachial plates, wliich are elongated, 

 narrow, with a convex distal side, have also a ratlier characteristic shape. 



Apart from the arrangement of the oral papilla?, the description given by Verrill 

 of 0. pedinula may, therefore, apply to the specimens wldch I have studied; but, 

 on the other hand, I can not separate them from 0. echinulata, for it is understood 

 that as regards the shape of the radial shields such a restriction must be made as 

 Lyman lumself made in 1883. Tlus being so, must Ophiectodia pectinula be con- 

 sidered as a synonym of Ophiacantlia ecliinulata'i Although tlus synonymy be 

 very enticing, I do not think it ought to be admitted now, since Verrill has definitely 

 taken the characters of the oral papillae as a basis for the separation of the two sj)ecies. 

 The question wUl not be settled except by comparing a great many specimens; 

 especially a revision of the specimens gathered by the BlaTce and indicated by Lyman 

 in 1883 would be particularly interesting and is most desirable. 



OPHIACANTHA ENOPLA Lyman. 



Fish Hawk station 1124. Aug. 26, 1882. Lat. 40° 01' N.; long. 68° 54' W.; 

 640 fathoms; fne. s., gn. m., limestone nodules; temp. 39° F. One specimen. 



OPHIACANTHA FRATERNA Verrill. 



Plate II, figs. 5-6. 



See for bibliography: 



Ophiacantlia Jraterna Verrill (85), p. 545. 

 Ophiacanlhafratema Verrill (99a), pp. 321, 324. 



Albatross station 2105. Nov. 6, 1883. Lat. 37° 50' N.; long. 73° 03' 50" W.; 

 1,395 fathoms; glob, oz.; temp. 41° F. Nine specimens. 



Albatross station 2678. May 6, 1886. Lat. 32° 40' N.; long. 76° 40' 30" W.; 

 731 fathoms; It. gy. oz.; temp. 38.7° F. Three specimens. 



In the larger specimens the diameter of the disk ranges between 8 and 9.5 mm.; 

 in the smallest it does not exceed 3 mm. The largest examples are not in a very 

 good state ; the brachial spines are very incomplete, and the arms themselves are 

 broken at a small distance from their base. In an example with a disk of 8 mm., 

 the arnis are from 40 to 45 mm. long. 



I have been able to make sure of my determination by comparing these speci- 

 mens with a specimen determined by Verrill and lent me by the U. S. National Museum, 



