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BULLETIN OE THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
14. Ophiomusium sculptum Verrill. 
This species has been taken previously only on coral bottom, in 100 fathoms of water, off 
Habana, Cuba. The color is very pale grayish white. It reaches a diameter of 9 mm., the arms 
not quite 3 times as long. 
This Ophiomusium is represented in the collection by 4 specimens from station 6067. They agree 
perfectly with VerrilPs description, except that there are accessory spines on the first 3 or 4 arm 
joints, of which he does not speak. The differences between this species and acuferum Lyman seem 
to me to be very unimportant. 
15. Ophiomusium validum Ljungman. 
Taken at several West Indian stations in water varying from 60 to 1,500 fathoms. Koehler 
reports it also from the Indian Ocean “ north of Lacquedives. ” Yellowish white in color and very stiff 
and hard in appearance. It is somewhat less than 10 mm. in diameter; the arms about 4 times as long. 
There are 4 very fine specimens of an Ophiomusium from station 6070, which I have referred to 
this species after much hesitation. They differ from the description and figures of validum as given by 
Lyman (Challenger Report, vol. v) in several important particulars, but the differences are not such as 
to warrant the establishment of a new species. There are more plates on the upper surface, a few more 
on the oral surface, the radial shields are separated by a row of plates, and there are 5 arm-spines, of 
which the lowest is very small and close to the fourth, which is the longest. These specimens are thus 
intermediate between validum and lymani, but are clearly much nearer to the former. 
16. Ophiothrix angulata Ayres. 
This small brittle star (7 to 10 mm. in diameter) is very common from Chesapeake Bay to Rio 
Janeiro, occurring chiefly among corals and seaweeds. The color is extraordinarily variable, usually 
some shade of purple or brown, with a very distinct longitudinal white stripe on the upper side of the 
arm; sometimes, however, this stripe is dark or even entirely wanting. 
Eighty specimens of this widely distributed and very variable species were taken at Ponce, 
Boqueron Bay, Ensenada Honda (Culebra), San Juan, Mayaguez, Puerto Real, Guanica, and at stations 
6064, 6065, 6067, 6072, 6075, 6079, 6080, 6087, 6096, and 6098. The variety of color is extraordinary. 
While nearly all have the white longitudinal stripe on the tipper side of the arm, one has the stripe 
very dark, and in a few it is wholly wanting. The ground color is usually deep purple or pale violet, 
but some are pale brown or yellowish white. A number have only prickly stumps on the disk and no 
longer spines. The smallest specimen is only 2 mm. in diameter and has arms 8 mm. long. In it the 
primary plates are very distinct, the radial shields are lai-ge and wholly bare, and there are only a 
few trifid stumps on the disk, and these are raised on little knobs. The most striking variety was taken 
at station 6063, where 2 medium-sized specimens were found in 75 fathoms. They are uniform pale 
brown and the arm-spines are very long, but there seem to be no other characters by Avhich to dis- 
tinguish them from angulata. 
17. Ophiothrix oerstedii Lutken. 
Common throughout the West Indies, in the same situations as the preceding. It is a little 
larger, 10 to 12 mm. in diameter, and the arms are more slender. Color, usually rich green or blue, 
the arms transversely striped with white on the upper side. A well-preserved specimen is a hand- 
some object. Specimens in this collection from Puerto Real and from station 6096 have the ground 
color dark purple, like angulata, instead of the usual dark blue or green. 
Fifteen specimens were collected at Ponce, Arroyo, Ensenada Honda (Culebra), Caballo Blanco, 
Mayaguez, and Puerto Real, and stations 6065 and 6096. 
18. Ophiothrix suensonii Lutken. 
One of the handsomest and most notable of West Indian brittle stars, collected at various points 
southward as far as Brazil, but apparently not so common as the two preceding species. It reaches a 
large size, up to 14 mm. in diameter, and the arms may be 5 to 6 times as'long. Color, pale lavender 
or bright rose-purple, marked with purple and with a broad longitudinal stripe of purple on the upper 
side of the arms. The whole structure is very delicate and glassy. Five specimens were obtained, 1 
from Boqueron Bay being the most beautiful object in the whole collection. The disk is 14 mm. in 
