Sanchez et a\ Morphometry of juvenile and subadult Loligo pealei and L plei 



547 



margins of the vane are curved, thin, and converge 

 both anteriorly and posteriorly. The junction of the 

 rachis and the vane is gradual and not distinct. The 

 free rachis tapers anteriorly from the junction of the 

 vane to the terminus of the marginal ribs. The ratio 

 of AFR/RW ranges from 0.633 to 1.100 in males and 

 from 0.684 to 0.946 in females. 



The gladius in L. plei is slender and sword-shaped 

 in all specimens (Fig. 17, C and D). The greatest 

 gladius width in males occurs in the anterior 1/4 of 

 the vane. In females, the greatest width occurs near 

 the mid-point of the vane. The ratio of the greatest 

 width of the gladius to the greatest width of the ra- 

 chis ranges from 1.85 to 2.34 in males and from 1.98 

 to 2.69 in females. One median rib occurs on the ra- 

 chis with marginal ribs on each side that fuse in the 

 posterior 1/3 of the rachis. Anterior and posterior tips 

 of the rachis are very pointed. The vane tapers both 



anteriorly and posteriorly. The junction of the rachis 

 and the vane is abrupt and distinct. The vane in both 

 sexes has marginal ribs that gradually curve inward, 

 anterior to the midpoint of the vane. The lateral 

 margins of the vane are usually straighter in males 

 than in females. The posterior tip of the rachis is 

 less flexible than the anterior tip owing to the con- 

 vergence and fusion of the ribs of the vane and the 

 rachis. The thickness of the ribs in both the rachis 

 and the vane increases with increasing size of the 

 specimen. The ribs usually are more pronounced in 

 males than in females. The ribs in the vane of small 

 specimens are distinguishable only as a color varia- 

 tion when held up to the light. The free rachis tapers 

 from the junction of the vane to the terminus of the 

 marginal ribs. The ratio of AFR/RW ranges from 

 0.701 to 1.043 in males and from 0.829 to 1.360 in 

 females. 



