No. 6. — Descriptions of Two Species of Octopus from California. 



By A. E. Vereill. 



In the following paper the large Octopus punctatus, which inhabits the 

 Pacific coast, from San Francisco to Sitka, is described and figured more 

 fully than hitherto. A nev/ species, known to the author for many 

 years, is described under the name of 0. himaculatus, a name intended 

 to recall the presence of two large dark spots, one in front of each eye, 

 near the bases of the arms. This species ranges from San Diego to 

 Panama, and perhaps even farther south. 



Octopus punctatus Gabb. 



Octopus punctatus Gabb, Proc. California Acad., II., p. 170, 1862. 

 Dall, Proc. California Acad., III., p. 243, fig. 27 (dentition), 1866. 



Plate IV. Plate V. Fig, 3. 



Body in preserved specimens more or less ovate, or depressed pyriform, 

 broadly rounded behind and narrowed toward the neck; upper surface of the 

 body and head covered with a soft lubricous integument, which, in the best 

 preserved examples, is strongly and irregularly longitudinally wrinkled, but 

 these wrinkles can be easily smoothed out by the fingers, leaving only slightly 

 thickened, irregular patches and blotches, which are of a darker brown color 

 than the rest of the surface ; similar, shghtly raised, darker spots, of smaller 

 size, are numerous on the web and outer sm-face of the arms ; at the posterior 

 end of the body the wrinkles are more conspicuous, and often give rise to 

 prominent irregular folds, concentric to the body ; these appear to have more 

 persistency than those of the dorsal surface, but as they can be nearly smoothed 

 out, they probably appear and disappear during life, according to the state of 

 contraction of the skin, as modified by the temper of the animal. The entire 

 lower surface is smoother and paler, but shows small, irregidar, scattered 

 brown blotches, largest at the sides. The head is of moderate size, with promi- 

 nent eyes ; above each eye are two large, prominent, compressed or angular, 

 soft cirri, blunt at the tip, but not lobed ; the most anterior of these is oppo- 

 site or in advance of the centre of the eye, the other is farther back ; around 

 the bases of these chri, and between them and the eyelids, there are numerous 

 small, unequal, irregular, rounded and compressed warts, which stand some- 

 what in lines radial to the eye. The siphon is large and long, gradually 



VOL. XI. — NO. 6. 



