[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 2nd October, 1907.]

Ophiocoma bollonsi, n. s.

The disc is somewhat irregularly round, slightly swollen above, with a thick rounded edge; about 18mm. in diameter. The arms are about 60mm. long, 3mm. wide at the base, and tapering evenly to a fine extremity. The disc is covered above with microscopically rough granules, evenly and closely placed at the centre, but somewhat more open and irregular towards the edge, with a few irregular bare patches; the granules extend a little beyond the edge of the disc on the plates of the oral surface in the interbrachial spaces, where they are longer than those above, a few being like small spinelets. The scaling on the oral surface is fine and even. The mouth-angles have four or five irregular, bluntly pointed mouth-papillæ on each side, those within smaller than the others. The tooth-papillæ are very numerous and small, like small bluntly-pointed spinelets. The mouth-shields are round or slightly oval, with a small peak within; side mouth-shields triangular, with rounded angles and emarginate sides, meeting, or almost meeting, within. The upper arm-plates are diamond-shaped with rounded angles, slightly overlapping. The side arm-plates are prominent, meeting neither above nor below; they bear five or six (six near the disc) rounded, somewhat flattened, tapering, bluntly pointed, granular arm-spines, the lower ones shorter than those above; the length of the longest is 6mm. There are two rounded, leaf-like tentacle-scales, about twice as long as broad, on the lower edge of the side arm-plates adjacent to the lowest armspine. The under arm-plates are broader than long, and rounded without. The colour of the dried specimen is chocolate-brown above and paler below, the spines being brownish-grey.

The unique type specimen, which is in the Dominion Museum at Wellington, was dredged up by Captain Bollons, of the Government steamer “Hinemoa,” in 16 fathoms of water, between Stephen Island and the mainland, when laying a telegraph cable to Stephen Island lighthouse. This is the first species of the genus Ophiocoma found in New Zealand waters. I have to thank Mr. Hamilton, Director of the Dominion Museum, for the opportunity of describing this species.

The type specimens of Ophiactis nomentis, described in the last volume of the Transactions, are in the Dominion Museum at Wellington.