THE IRISH SEA. 127 



3. Ophiocoma GRANULATA.* 



Disk rounded or sub-pentangular, flat, thickly covered by very 

 short rough blunt spines ; no scales. Rays covered by transverse 

 lens-shaped scales ; beneath by oblong hexagonal plates. Sides with 

 numerous transverse ridges, each bearing four or five long straight 

 sharp spines, which are larger than the breadth of the rays. Breadth 

 of disk three-fourths of an inch ; rays three times as long as the disk 

 is broad. 



Frequent in deep water. Disk black, orange or variegated ; rays 

 dark, with pale or bluish spines. 



4. Ophiocoma RosuLA.t 



Disk rounded or angular, covered with small rough spines, miDgled 

 with long sharp spines ; two large triangular smooth plates at the 

 base of each ray, their apices approximating. Rays covered above 

 by triangular imbricated scales ; beneath by quadrangular punctate 

 plates. Sides of rays with transverse ridges, each bearing five long 

 sharp rough spines. Ridges punctate. Spines one and a half times 

 as broad as the breadth of the rays. Breadth of disk six-tenths of 

 an inch. Rays four times as long as the disk is broad. Colour va- 

 rious, generally of a dusky rose colour. The arms white with pink 

 spots, occasionally with dusky arms spotted with bright yellow. 



Exceedingly common in deep water. 



5. Ophiocoma minuta,^ Forbes. — PL IV. Fig. 8. 



Disk pentangular, flat, covered with short rough trifurcated 

 spines ; two triangular rough scales at the base of each ray. Rays 

 imbricated above with triangular scales, below the square plates. 

 Sides with transverse ridges, each bearing four or five long sharp 

 pectinated spines, one-fourth of their length longer than the breadth 

 of the ray. Disk two-tenths of an inch broad. Rays more than six 

 times as long as the breadth of the disk. Colour various. 



Under stones at low-water spring-tides, Ballaugh, Isle of Man. 

 This is probably the " Hirsuta seu stella grallatoria vel macrosceles 

 Luidii " of Link, p. 50, found by Luid near Tenby, and named As- 

 terias minuta by Pennant. 



* Ophuria granulata, Fleming, p. 488 ; Link, p. 26, fig. 43. O. echinata, 

 Lam. ii. p. 543. Asterias nigra, Mull. Zool. Dan. 20, t. xciii. fig. 1—4. 



f Ophiura rosula, Flem. p. 489 ; Link, p. 37, fig. 65, and pi. 26, fig. 42. 

 Asterias fragilis. Muller. Asterias pentaphylla, varia, aculeata, hastala,Jissa, 

 nigra, Penn. Br. Zool. iv. 131 to 133. O. ciliaris el fragilis. Lam. ii. p. 545. 



J Asterias minuta, Penn. iv. p- 63. No. 61 ? 



