Narrative and preliminary report of Bahama expedition . s spiniform mouth-papilla andtooth-papilla\ although in other respects it is a typical ser-pent-star. The disk is svmmetricallv studded with spinulosestumps, and the radial shields are small and triangular. Thereare nine long arm-spines which bear spinelets over their entiresurface instead of along the sides only. A still nearer approachto the basket-fish type is found in a species of Ophioniyxa,which has four arm-spines that are larger and sharper than inO. flaccida. Our specimens came from a depth of twenty tosixty fathoms. But the grea
Narrative and preliminary report of Bahama expedition . s spiniform mouth-papilla andtooth-papilla\ although in other respects it is a typical ser-pent-star. The disk is svmmetricallv studded with spinulosestumps, and the radial shields are small and triangular. Thereare nine long arm-spines which bear spinelets over their entiresurface instead of along the sides only. A still nearer approachto the basket-fish type is found in a species of Ophioniyxa,which has four arm-spines that are larger and sharper than inO. flaccida. Our specimens came from a depth of twenty tosixty fathoms. But the greatest surprise revealed by our dredges andtangles wliile working on the Pourtales Plateau was tlie great(juantity of Astrophytid.^^, both simple-armed and in the preceding group, we were constantly struck withthe tendency on the part of single species to occur in greatnvmibers on definite spots of the sea bottom. Especially wasthis true of the simple-armed forms, a group which none ofus had seen before our experience off the Cuban coast. On. M, F. LINDER, DEL Simple-armed Basket Fish from Pourtales Plateau. Fig-. 1. OiiiiocRHAS 2. VALLATis. 2a. Disk of same, ventral view. Narrative of Bahama Expedition. 171 the Pourtales Plateau some of these forms came up by thehundreds, and proved that thev were even more abundantthan the regular serpent-stars. The most common and strik-ing species of this interesting group was Ophiocrcas luinbriciisLyman, in which the sharply defined radial ridges run nearl}^to the centre of the disk. The spine-like tentacle-scales arein pairs, the lower being about twice the length of an arm-joint. The whole animal is covered with a smooth skin, andthe long arms look like earth-worms; hence the name,—••lumbricus. Alcoholic specimens give no adec^uate idea ofthese striking forms. They were very conspicuous as theycame up on the dredge or tangles, being of a bright orangecolor. The rays of th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdec, booksubjectnaturalhistory, bookyear1895
