140 COIiECnONS FEOM MELANESIA. 



11. OpMocoma scolopendrina. 



Lyman, p. 26. 

 Port Molle. 



12. Ophiartlimm elegans. 



Peters, WiegmamCs Arch. 1852, p. 82. 



Though the British Museum possesses several specimens of this 

 species, the present is especially useful, as it is the first which has 

 come to hand in which even one of the " sehr zerbrechlioh " arms 

 has been preserved entire. As the disk measures 18 millim., and 

 this complete arm rather more than 120 millim;, we find that the 

 object now in hand presents very much the same proportions as the 

 specimen described by Dr. Peters. In an example from Torres 

 Straits, which has been some years in the possession of the Trustees, 

 there is an arm which is in a sense complete, but it was obviously 

 broken during life ; and though the disk is of very much the same dia^ 

 meter as that just added to the collection, this arm only measures 

 60 millim. 



Dr. Coppinger's specimen was collected at Levuka, Fiji. 



OPHIOTHRIX. 



In addition to the series hereafter mentioned and described, there 

 were indications cf other species, not sufficiently good to justify de- 

 scription, but quite well enough marked to point to the great wealth 

 of Ophioihrix-ianns in the seas where these dredgings were made. 



13. OpMothrix fnmaria. 



Lyman, p. 84. 



As this is a very rare species, the following notes may be of 

 interest : — 



Eadial shields naked, large, with a curve along their basal edge, 

 each separated from its fellow by a low ridge on which granules are 

 generally developed. Each pair of radial shields is separated by some 

 seven rows of prominent granules ; these granules occupy all but the 

 very central portion of the disk, and form a spinous patch on the 

 lower surface. Mouth-shields irregularly oval, pretty sharply angu- 

 lated proximally and very narrow distaUy, so that the bridge be- 

 tween the genital sUts is very narrow. Only the median pbrtion of 

 the interbrachial space is spinous. 



Upper arm-plates a good deal encroached upon by the side arm- 

 plates, so that, for the greater part of the arm, they are wider along 

 their distal than their proximal edge ; spine-ridge of side arm-plates 

 not specially weU developed ; lower arm-plates rectangular, a little 



