Sepioteuthis.^ CEPHALOPODA. 106! 



Fam. LOLIGINID.&3, Leach. 



Body rather long ; the lateral fins of variable form, and extending 

 the whole length of the body, or only part of it ; buccal skin some- 

 times armed with suckers ; the sessile arms have 2 rows of cups, the 

 rings provided with a narrow prominent ridge on the centre of the 

 external surface, the fourth left arm of the male hectocotylized, ten- 

 tacular arms partly retractile. Inner shell or gladius as long as the 

 back, solid, horny. 



Genus 1. SEPIOTEUTHIS, Blainville, 1824. 



Sepioteuthis, Blainville, Diet. Sci. Nat., xxxii, 1824, 175. Type : S. sepioidea, 

 Blainville. Chondrosepia, Leuckart, 1828. 



Body rather long or oval, with small lateral fins extending its entire 

 length ; siphon attached to the head by muscular bands ; buccal 

 skin, with 7 projections covered with suckers ; a strong wrinkle behind 

 the eyes. Fourth left arm hectocotylized at its extremity. Gladius 

 feather-like, as long as the back, broader at the middle, its shaft keeled. 



Distribution. About fifteen species in the warm seas : West 

 Indies ; Indian Ocean ; Red Sea ; Australasia ; &c. 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



a. Fins dilated in the middle, buccal membrane without cups . . bilineata. 



b. Fins dilated posteriorly, buccal membrane with cups . . Lessoniana. 



1. Sepioteuthis bilineata, Quoy and Gaimard, 1832. Plate 70, figs. 1, a. 



Sepia bilineata, Q. & G., Voy. Astrol., ii, 1832, 66, pi. 2, f. 1. Sepioteuthis 

 bilineata, Q. & G. : d'Orbigny, Ceph. acet., 1839, 301, Sepioteuther., 

 pi. 4, f. 2 ; Man. Conch. (1), i, 154, pi. 63, f. 221 ; M.N.Z.M., 3 ; Chenu, 

 Man. de Conch., i, 35, f. 91 ; Chall. Rep., xvi, 27, 220 ; Brazier, Cat. 

 A.M., No. 15, 15 ; Pritchard and Gatliff, P.R.S. Vic. (n.s.), x, 244 : 

 Index, 58; H. B. Kirk, T.N.Z.I., xvi, 145, pis. 3-8. S. major, Gray, 

 C.M.M., not of Gray. 



Body elongated, cylindrical, but flattened on the anterior and 

 posterior surface, attenuated and rounded behind. Fins large and 

 thick, most dilated in the middle of the body, extending a little beyond 

 the extremity of the body and coalescing. Head broader than long ; 

 eyes on the sides of the head and directed straight outwards. Sessile 

 arms rather short ; order of length 4, 3. 2, 1 ; cups large ; rings with 

 short blunt teeth on the higher side. Tentacular arms strong, with 

 cups and rings like those of the sessile arms. Buccal membrane with- 

 out cups. Colour, yellowish-white, spotted with violet ; a blue line on 

 dorsal surface marks the outline of the body ; the whole surface of 

 head and body richly spotted with chromatophores. Shell lanceolate, 

 widest at about two-fifths of its length, edge not thickened, central 

 rib broad, extended in front about one-sixth of its length. Length 

 of adult about 14 in. (355 mm.). 



Anatomy. H. B. Kirk, i.e., 148, pis. 4-8. 



Type in the Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris. 



Hab.- Auckland to Wellington, during late spring and summer. 



