ventral side and near the edge on the dorsal side of the disk are 
short trifid stumps, not long, serrated spines as in the middle of 
the disk. Evidently this feature is not of sufficient value for separ- 
ating these New Zealand specimens from the typical form, not even 
as a variety. 
The species being widely distributed in the Indian and Austral- 
ian seas, as far South as Tasmania, its occurrence in New Zealand 
seas (off North Cape and Cape Maria van Diemen) is not surpris- 
ing at all. 
From Ophiothrix Oliveri Benham, the other species found in 
New Zealand waters, it is very easily distinguished through its 
naked radial shields and the long spines covering the disk scales, 
O. oliveri having the disk with the radial shields completely covered 
with small, trind stumps. Also the shape of the dorsal plates is 
quite different in the two species. 
12 . Ophiothrix oliveri Benham. 
Fig. 8. 
Ophiothrix oliveri. Ben ham. 
Fig. 8. Ophiothrix oliveri lienhaiii. 1. 
Part of ventral side; 2. dorsal aspect 
of three arinjoints, from the middle 
of the arm. 
Stellerids and Echinids from the Kerma- 
dec Islands. Trans. N. Z. Inst. Vol. XLIII. 
1910. p. 154. 
H. L. Clark. Catalogue Rec. Ophiurans. 
1915. p. 276. 
Off Little Barrier Isl., 30 fms ; shells, 2 
specimens. 
Three Kings Isl., 65 fms.; hard bottom. 
1 specimen. 
Judging from the description and 
figures of this species given by Ben¬ 
ham it would seem that the spec¬ 
imens in hånd could not be simply 
identified with the Kermadec-spec- 
ies; especially the shape of the ven¬ 
tral plates in Benham’s Fig. 14 
differs rather conspicuously from 
that of the New Zealand specimens, 
as shown in Fig. 8 . 1 . The direct’ 
