212 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XXXII, 



Ophiernus adspersus. 



Lyman, 1883. Bull. M. C. Z., Vol. 10, p. 236. 



For some notes in regard to this specimen, see under the following 

 species. 



Station 5676. Off San Juanico, west coast of Lower California, 647 fms. 

 Bottom Temp., 39°. One specimen. 



Ophiernus polyporus. 



Lutken and Mortensen, 1899. Mem. M. C. Z., Vol. 23, p. 109. 



A dozen or more specimens of Ophiernus seem to be referable to this 

 species, but studying them in connection with the single specimen just 

 mentioned has raised grave doubts as to whether polyporus is a valid species, 

 distinct from adspersus, or not. The specimen of adspersus listed above 

 from station 5676 is a large adult and comparison with West Indian speci- 

 mens shows it is a typical example of the species. Another specimen, 

 almost exactly like it, and also from station 5676, has the characteristic 

 pores of polyporus present on the fifth joint of each arm and in four of the 

 arms on one or both sides of the fourth or sixth joint, and in one arm on the 

 seventh and eighth joints also; the pores are smaller than in a typical 

 polyporus but are otherwise similar. In a third specimen from the same 

 station, the pores are present on the third to eighth joints of all the arms. 

 In typical polyporus, the pores extend out to the fifteenth to twenty-fifth 

 joint. So far as I can see the presence of these pores is the only thing 

 which distinguishes polyporus from adspersus, and I have therefore drawn 

 an arbitrary line by which one of these specimens (as noted above) is set off as 

 adspersus and the rest are called polyporus. The available material is in 

 too poor condition for me to satisfy myself as to whether the presence of a 

 few pores is indicative of hybridization or whether the presence and num- 

 ber of pores is a matter of individual diversity. The fact that polyporus 

 has as yet been taken only in the vicinity of southern Lower California, 

 off the Mexican coast and near Panama, while adspersus is practically 

 cosmopolitan in deep water, indicates the specific importance of the pores. 

 Better material must be awaited before the question can be definitely 

 settled. Apparently Ophiernus is very fragile, all reported material being 

 more or less badly damaged by its collection or journey in the trawl. The 

 specimens of polyporus in the present collection were taken at the following 

 points : 



