139 
?Amphiura aster. Koehler. 1907. Revision de la collect. des Ophiures 
1 
, du Mus. d’Hist. nat. Paris. Buli. sc. Fr. et Belgique XLl. 
p. 299. PI. XI, 15—16. 
— arenaria Farquhar. 1913. On two new Echinoderms. Trans. 
N.Z. Ins. XLV. 214. PI. IV. 
' — — H.Lym. Clark. 1915. Catalogue Rec. Oph. p. 224. 
— aster — Ibidem. p. 224. 
, No specimens were collected by the author, but a few spec- 
'I imens of Å. arenaria from Plimmerton were sent to me by Mr. 
Farquhar in 1912, and a pair of specimens of Å. aster (unfor- 
tunately in a very poor State of 
preservation) from Timaru, the type 
i locality of this species, were pre¬ 
sented to me by Mr.W. R. B. Oliver, 
i Also a pair of specimens of arenaria 
j (again from Plimmerton) were sent 
I me from the Dominion Museum, 
^ Wellington. 
On studying these specimens I 
find that they all belong to one and 
' the same species, and there can be 
] no doubt, accordingly, that Åmph. 
I 
arenaria is a synonym only of Å. 
aster. Farquhar has also himself 
called attention to the close relation 
• between arenaria and aster, but 
thinks the differences in the scaling 
of the disk and the shape of the 
mouth parts sufficient for separating 
^ them as two different species. As 
regards the scaling of the disk there is, however, so considerable 
a variation that it is quite out of question to find a reliable disting- 
uishing character herein. The same I find to hold good for the 
^ shape of the mouth parts. Especially, I find the oral shields exceed- 
' ingly variable in form, as shown in figures 18,3 and 19. No other 
differences existing between the two forms, I do not hesitate in 
declaring them identical. 
. Regarding the characters of this species I would point out the 
faet, already observed by Farquhar, that two tentacle scales are 
Fig. 19. Amphiura aster Farquhar. 
Fart of oral side. ^®/i. 
