92 ON THE COLLECTION MADE BY H.M.S. ‘PETEREL. [Feb. 6, 
II. AsTeriip&. 
3. HELIASTER MICROBRACHIA, Xantus. 
Ill. Oruiurz. 
4, OPHIOTHRIX SPICULATA, Leconte. 
5. OpHIONEREIS ALBOMACULATA, Sp. nov. (Plate XI. figs. 1-5.) 
Disk somewhat pentagonal, finely scaled, the scales in the region 
of the radial shields larger than elsewhere ; radial shields very small, 
narrow, pointed within, not far apart, the inner sides nearly straight, 
outer curved, white with the outer tips blackish; oral shields 
shaped like a short spear-head, the point being obtuse, and towards 
the mouth and the handle broad and short, the madreporic shield 
a little larger and of a somewhat different form ; side oral shields 
irregularly triangular, small, situated on the sides of the orals, the 
outer angle touching the first very small ventral arm-plate, the lower 
end not nearly reaching to the apex of the oral shield; mouth- 
papillee 6-8 on each mouth-angle, subequal, the outermost one gene- 
rally the largest ; arms about six times as long as the width of the 
disk, broadest about an inch from it, and towards it gradually attenu- 
ating ; upper plates irregularly quadrangular, the sides converging 
outwardly ; the outer edge is consequently narrower than the inner, 
and straight ; the supplementary plates on each side about half as 
large as the central ones ; lower arm-plates square, with the angles 
rounded; 4 spines on about the first twelve side arm-plates, 3 on the 
rest ; the lowest is a little the smallest, the central one the largest 
(2 millims. in length), the uppermost broad, compressed and truncate 
at the apex ; the single tentacle-scale is large and subcireular. The 
colour of the disk (in alcohol) dark olive, almost black, varied with 
white near the radial shields; arms above of the same dark tint as 
the disk, with white spots at intervals of a few segments, and towards 
the end of the arms the plates on each side of those which are white 
or which are white-spotted are almost black ; lower arm-plates pur- 
plish brown, tentacle-scales a little paler; arm-spines dark olive with 
pale lips. 
Diam. of disk 13 mill.; width of the first dorsal arm-plates inclu- 
ding the supplementary ones 2 millims., of the fifteenth 3 millims. 
Hab. Charles Island. 
This species is remarkable in having the middle portion of the rays 
considerably broader than the base; the first lower arm-plate is very 
small, being only about one fourth the size of the next and situated 
between the side mouth-shields. The white spots on the upper sur- 
face of the arms are generally on the outer edges; but towards the 
end of the arms they meet, thus forming transverse white bands ; and 
on each side of them the adjoining plates are much darker than the 
roots of the arms, in fact almost black, thus giving a very striking 
variegated aspect to them. 
