OPHIURA. ital! 
Oral plates short shield-shaped, the breadth and length about 
equal; the outer and lateral edges form a regular curve, the inner 
edges make an obtuse angle. Mouth-papille four on each side of 
each mouth-angle; the outer one is flat and broad, the others are 
slender, acute; the median papilla is larger, acute. The inner ten- 
tacle-pore is small, and usually has a single small scale on each side ; 
the others have one small scale. The arms are not very long, taper- 
ing to rather slender tips, with a median ridge. Ventral arm-plates 
widely separated, crescent-shaped, wider than long, those near the 
base with a proximal angle. Upper arm-plates raised into a distinet 
median ridge, with a slightly prominent outer angle; those near the 
base are much shorter than broad ; distally they become much longer 
than broad. Arm-spines three, rather slender and acute, the upper 
one is decidedly longer and larger than the next, its length equalling 
two arm-plates ; the lowest is much the smallest. The genital slits 
have a row of very minute spinules along the upper half. 
“The colour is variable; the disk is usually prettily marked by 
a rosette of brown or dark-grey spots on a paler ground, or the 
darker tint may take a star-shaped form, with five or ten rays, with 
the radial shields usually pale; or there may be a combination of 
the rosette and star; rarely the disk is nearly uniform pale grey, 
like the upper side of the arms. The larger specimens have the 
disk 10 mm. in diameter ; length of the arms about 45 mm. 
“This species is rather common in this region in deep water ; we 
have also frequently dredged it farther north, in the Gulf of Maine ; 
Bay of Fundy ; and off Nova Scotia.” 
Specimens stated by Mr. Hoyle to have been dredged in Faeroe 
Channel, 327-640 fms. 
6. Ophiura affinis. 
Ophiura affinis, Liith. Dansk. Vid. Selsk. Skrift. v. (1859) p. 46, pl. il. 
fig. 10; Norm. Ann. § Mag. xv. (1865) p. 113. 
Ophioglypha affinis, Lyman, Ill. Cat. Mus. C. Z. i. (1865) p. 52; 
Ludwig, Mitth. zool. Stat. Neap. i. (1879) p. 547 ; Leshe § Herdm. 
Proc. R. Phys. Soc. vi. (1881) p. 87; Lyman, Chall. Rep. Oph. 
(1882) p. 77 ; Fjelstrup, Zool. Dan. Piyh. (1890) p. 24, pl. ii. 
fie. 3. 
Ophiura grubei, Heller, SB. Ak. Wien, xlvi. (1863) p. 431, pl. ii. 
figs. 13-16 ; td. Zooph. u. Ech, Adriat. Meer. (1868) p. 58. 
Ophiura normani, Hodge, Trans. Tynes. Nat. F. Club, v. (1863) 
p- 296, pl. xvi. 
A very small species, with arms stout at the base. The central 
and five primary plates of the disk are very distinct and large, and 
are surrounded by much smaller plates; along the median inter- 
radial line there are two plates almost as large as the primary, and 
the remainder are much smaller. The radials are of moderate 
size, wider without than within; the arm-comb consists of about 
ten small spines. Four small teeth; mouth-shield very large, 
pointed internally, about twice as long as wide ; bursal slit rather 
