202 RECENT OPHIURANS. 



HoLOTYPE (M. C. Z. 3918) and 19 pahatypes (M. C. Z. 3919-3923). 

 Off St. Cruz, D. W. I., 508-625 fms. Off Dominica, 372-390 fms. Off 

 Martinique, 317-502 fms. Off Grenada, 416 fms. Off Barbados, 140-221 

 fms. 



Koehler (loc. cit.) has called attention to the fact that two West Indian ophiu- 

 rans are confused under the name pentacrinus and he proposes to reinstate 

 Lyman's name meridionalis for the form which is not true -pentacrinus. Unfor- 

 tunately an examination of Lyman's types of meridionalis shows that they are 

 all true pentacrinus as Lyman himself decided in 1871 (lUus. cat. M. C. Z., 

 no. 6, p. 7), and consequently the name meridionalis is a pure synonym of penta- 

 crinus and cannot be used for any other species. I therefore propose mesembria, 

 the Greek equivalent of meridionalis, for the form with the broad outer oral 

 papillae. The species was taken at a number of the Blake stations but was 

 not distinguished from pentacrinus by Mr. Lyman and hence the Paris Museum 

 (as recorded by Koehler) received some specimens labeled pentacrinus. 



249. O. METALLACTA, sp. nov. {fieraXKajirds, changed). 



Ophiacantha vepratica Koehler, 1914. Bull. 84 U. S. N. M., p. 94, pi. 13, f. 6. non Lyman, 

 1878. Bull. M. C. Z., 5, p. 137. 



Disk, 5 mm. in diameter; arms, 25-30 mm. long. Very similar to 0. 

 vepratica Ljrman but easily distinguished by the disk covering which consists 

 of coarse, spaced, thorn-crowned granules, with no spinules whatever. 



HoLOTYPE (M. C. Z. 2036) and 15 paratypes (M. C. Z. 2037-2041, 2044, 

 2221). Off South Carolina, 257 fms. Off Nevis, 356 fms. Off Marti- 

 nique, 334 fms. Off St. Lucia, 164 fms. Off St. Vincent, 424 fms. Off 

 Grenada, 291 fms. Off Barbados, 399 fms. 



This species which Koehler {loc. cit.) has satisfactorily described and figured 

 as vepratica is not that species (hence the changed name). In studying the 

 Blake collections, Mr. Lyman found a number of specimens, which he labeled 

 "vepratica?" but occasionally the question mark was omitted. With these 

 specimens are various little notes, as follows: "Ophiacantha sp. nov.? Some- 

 what cuspidata. 7-8 slightly thorny spines. Stumps on disk with crown of 

 thorns. Wait more and better spec." "Ophiomitra valida ? i/oMng." "Similar 

 to # 139 but 1 tent, scale and 7 m. papiUae." For some reason, he sent one of 

 these dubious Blake specimens to the Paris Museum with no question mark on 

 the label. Naturally Koehler assumed that it was an authentic specimen of 

 vepratica and accordingly identified similar West Indian brittle-stars as that 

 Pacific species. A comparison of the descriptions and figures given by Lyman 



