OPHIOCOMA. 129 



Teeth, tooth- and mouth-papillae; tooth-papillae very numerous. 

 Disk granulated and radial shields hidden. Spines smooth, not 

 numerous. 



1. Ophiocoma nigra. 



Asterias nigra, Abilg. apud O. F. Mutter, Zool. Dan. iii. (1789) p. 20, 



pi. xciii. ; L. Gmel. S. A 7 ", xiii. (1769) p. 3108 ; Betz. Diss. <S/)<°c. Ast. 



(1805) p. 81. 

 Ophiura granulata, Flem. Brit. An. (1828) p. 488; Thompson, Nat. 



Hist. Irel. iv. (1856) p. 438. 

 Ophiocoma nigra, M. Tr. Arch. f. Nat. 1840, p. 328 ; iid. Syst. Ast. 



(1842) p. 100 ; Dub. $ Kor. Vet.-Ak. Hdlg. 1844 (1846), p. 234 ; 



Gray, Brit. Bad. (1848) p. 26 ; Herdman, Proc. B. Phys. Soc. Ed. 



v. (1880) p. 201 ; Leslie $■ Herdm. op. cit. vi. (1881) p. 87 ; Barrois, 



Bev. Biol. i. (1888) p. 73; Fjehtrup, Zool. Dun. Pigh. (1890) 



p. 29, pi. iii. fig. 4. 

 Ophiocoma granulata, Forbes, Mem. Wern. Soc. viii. (1839) p. 127; 



id. Brit. Star/. (1840) p. 50. 

 Asterias tricolor, Abilg. Zool. Dan. iii. (1789) p. 28, pi. xcvii. ; llrfz. 



Diss. Spec. Ast. (1805) p. 31. 

 Ophiura sphaerulata, Nilss. Coll. Zool. Scan. (1817) p. 16. 

 Ophiocoma nilssoni, M. Tr. Syst. Ast. (1842) p. 100. 



A moderately sized stout species. 



Disk rounded, covered with a fine granulation, which ceases only 

 near the bursal slits ; arms fairly stout, seven or eight times the 

 radius of the disk. About ten teeth, a number of small tooth- 

 papillae ; mouth-shield irregular in form, but often lens -like and 

 broader than long ; four upstanding mouth-papillae on either side. 

 Upper arm-plates wider than long, but soon encroached on by the 

 side arm-plates, which carry five or six rather long, sharp spines. 

 Two tentacle-scales to very far out in the arm, then only one. 



Colour black or dark brown, the arms lighter than the disk ; 

 sometimes lighter, and sometimes spotted. 



E. r. 



95 11 



76 10 

 56 8-5 



50 8-5 



40 4-5 



Distribution. Scandinavian Seas ; Barents Sea. To 87 fms. 



a, h. Between Plocton and Loch Reraig, John Murray, Esq. 

 21/9/91. 



c. Sound of Mull, 70 fms., 5/9/87. John Murray, Esq. 



d, e. Loch Leven, 25 fms., 27/8/87. John Murray, Esq. 



/, g. Firth of Lorn, 50 fms. John Murray, Esq. 



h, i. Near Trench and Kilbrennan Sound, John Murray, Esq. 



10-14 fms. 



j-l. Kilbrennan Sound. John Murray, Esq. 



7)i. 4 miles S.E. of Sanda, 30-38 fms. John Murray, Esq. 



West coast of Scotland. John Murray, Esq. 



K 



