Berry. — Cephalopods from the Kermadec Islands. 



143 



Colour of specimens preserved in formalin a brownish buff dotted 

 with numerous slate-coloured chromatophores which are very much more 

 numerous dorsally than ventrally. 



There are two specimens of this species in the collection, one of them 

 well preserved (S.S.B. 409), the other fragmentary (S.S.B. 410). The 

 former, which I have taken as the type, has furnished the greater part of 

 the foregoing description, but the account of the subocular and intrapallial 

 photogenic organs was drawn up from the second specimen. 



Both specimens were picked up on the beach at Sunday Island in 1910 

 by R. S. Bell. 



Measurements. 



Length of body, dorsal 



Tip of body to base of dorsal arms 



Length of fins, extreme 



Width of body 



Width across fins 



Width across eyes . . 



Length of head 



Length of funnel 



Length of right dorsal arm 



Length of left dorsal arm 



Length of right second arm 



Length of left second arm 



Length of right third arm 



Length of left third arm 



Length of right ventral arm 



Length of left ventral arm 



Length of right tentacle 



Length of left tentacle 



Length of tentacle-club 

 This amazing little squid presents a very remarl 

 characters, some of its features being, so far as I know, unique in the entire 

 class Cephalopoda. Indeed, only two of all the described forms are even 

 sufficiently similar for consideration in the same connection. These are 

 the wonderful Thaumatolampas diadema of Chun (Enoploteuthis diadema 

 Chun, 1900, p. 532, fig. : Lycoteuthis diadema Chun, 1903, p. 569, figs. : 

 Thaumatolampas diadema Chun, 1903a, p. 67, &c. ; 1910, p. 59, pi. 1-A) 

 and the perhaps identical Lycoteuthis jattai of Pfeffer (1900, p. 161 : 

 L. diadema Pfeffer, 1908, p. 294 ; 1912, p. 113). Enoploteuthis diadema 

 Chun, 1900, has precedence over Lycoteuthis jattai Pfeffer, 1900 ; whereas 

 Lycoteuthis is in its turn prior to Thaumatolampas Chun, 1903. Pfeffer 

 accordingly unites both forms under the name Lycoteuthis diadema (Chun); 

 but, while in view of the evidence he gives there seems little doubt that 

 the two genera are identical, it may be that the actual specific names 

 will not prove to be synonyms. However that may be, Lycoteuthis is un- 

 doubtedly a very near ally of the form now before us, and the relation 

 between the two is a most interesting one. Leaving out of consideration the 

 extraordinary development of the third-arm pair, we find that, except in 

 a few and relatively inconsequential details, no very special differences* 



* Such differences appear in — (1) the order of length of the arms (2, 4, 3, 1 in 

 L. diadema) ; (2) the fact that the central photophore of the subocular series is distinctly 

 the largest in Neinatolampas, whereas Pfeffer's figure of Lycoteuthis (1912, pi. 14, fig. 9) 

 shows the two terminal organs as the largest ; (3) the broader fins of the Kermadec 

 species; &c. 



