"304 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



the open-sea habits of this powerful species, and the fact that it belongs to the widely dispersed family 

 of the OmmastrephidEe. 



Genus SYMPLECTOTEUTHIS Pfeffer, 1900. 



Symplecloteuthis Pfeffer. 1900. p. 178. 180. 



Animal like Ommasirephes in general features, differing from its allies Dosidicus and Sthenoieutkis 

 chiefly in that the cartilaginous locking apparatus at the base of the funnel is fused with that of the 

 mantle and the swimming membrane of the third arms is much less developed than in those groups. 

 Arms frequently so compressed that the suckers have the appearance of being in a single series. 



Type, Loligo oualaniensis, Lesson 1830 {^Symplecloteuthis oualaniensis (hesson) Pfeffer), a tropical 

 Pacific species of wide distribution. 



Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis (Lesson, 1830) Pfeffer. 



Loligo oualaniensis Lesson, iSjo, p. 24Q, pi. I. fig. 2. 

 9 Ommasirephes Tryonii Gabb, 1862, p. 483, pi. 



? Ayresii "Gabb" Carpenter, 1864, p. 613. 664 (name only). 



Oualaniensis Tryon. 1S79. p. 180, pi. 81. fig. 36S (after d'Orbigny). 

 ? Tryonii Tryon. 1879. p. 180, pi. 81. fig. 372-373 (after Gabb). 

 ? Ayresti Tryon. 1S79. p. 182. 



oualaniensis Hoyle. 1S86. p. 33. 167: i836a, p. 243 (39). 

 Symplectoleuthis oualaniensis Pfeffer, 1900, p. iSo 



Hoyle, 1904, p. 32, fig. F. 

 Not Ommasirephes tryonii Keep. 1904. p. 271. 351 {=Loligo oregonensis'), nor Keep. 1910, p. 297 (same). 



The claims of this species to a place within our fauna, whether identical with that described by 

 Gabb or not, are not yet by any means fully established. Brief mention is made here chiefly for the 

 sake of completeness, as no specimens have been examined. One thing is clear, that all authors who 

 have used the term Ommastrephes tryonii subsequent to its description have not been unanimous in 

 their allusion to the same species or even the same genus as that described by Gabb, whatever the 

 latter may prove to be. Usually a species of Loligo is the squid referred to under this name in the 

 lists. It may be said in explanation of this confusion, however, that the original diagnosis of tryonii 

 is sadly inadequate in almost all essential respects. As a possible preventive of further error and 

 for the benefit of those who may not chance to have access to the publication in which it originally 

 appeared, I have taken the liberty to reprint it in full (Appendix, art. ii). 



Ommastrephes Ayresii is a manuscript name of Gabb. It was published by Carpenter without 

 description, and has been since repeated in several local lists despite the fact that it has no standing. 



S. oualaniensif is reported from the vicinity of Cocos Island by Hoyle; this is probably tlie nearest 

 locality to our region from which we have the species indubitably recorded. 



Family HISTIOTEUTHID.€ Verrill, 1881. 

 Genus MELEAGROTEUTHIS Pfeflfer, 1900. 



Xleleagroteuthis Pfeffer 1900. p. 170, 



Body of moderate size, short and ovate, with short posterior rounded fins. Head strongly asym- 

 metrical. Arms of moderate length, with two rows of small distant suckers having toothed homy rings. 

 Umbrella rudimentarj'. Luminous organs extremely numerous, especially on the ventral surface, 

 although a few exist dorsally as well; on the dorsal and second arras three rows, on the third pair four, 

 on the ventral arms about eight rows. 



Meleagroteuthis is extremely close to Calliteuthis, differing but little save in the arrangement and 

 number of its luminous organs. On such a ground the wisdom of separating the two further than sub- 

 generically seems very doubtful, for if minute characters of this sort be generic, one wonders what 

 features should be taken as specific. One of the lesser characters depended upon, the complete toothing 

 of the sessile arm suckers, is at least in part broken down by tlie specimens described below. 



