Zoology.'] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. iMoUusca. 



Plates 1G9 and 170. 



OMMASTREPHES GOULDI (McCoy). 

 Gould's Squid. 



[Genus OMMASTREPHES (D'Okb.). (Sub-kingdom Mollusca. Class Cephalopoda. 

 Sub-class Antipedla, Order Sepliinia. Family Onychoteuthidae.) 



Oen. Char. —Head short, depressed, cylindrical, suddenly narrowed behind the eyes ; eyes 

 large, lateral, without skin covering, with a transversely oval external opening, having a large 

 sinus in upper edge; buccal membrane large, 7-Iobed, without suckers. Body elongate, cylin- 

 drical, tapering abruptly behind, truncated in front ; cartilages on base of siphon contracted, and 

 with a tubercle on each side below, forming a triangle, with a narrow internal cavity above, and 

 a wide transverse one below, into which corresponding hard tubercles from inner sides of mantle 

 fit, and extending into a transverse ridge towards each other; two longitudinal ridges on nape, 

 with concavity between, on a hard oblong plate, fitting into corresponding parts on inside of 

 mantle ; three longitudinal keels on each side of narrowed posterior portion of head, one con- 

 taining the opening of the e.ar. Two large aquiferous openings, bei ween the 3rd and 4tb pair 

 of sessile arms, outside the tentacular long arms ; four buccal cavities, two between the 1st 

 and 2nd pair of sessile arms, and two between the 3rd and 4th pairs. Two anal cavities, one 

 on each side of base of siphon. Siphon lodged in hollow in he.ad, with a valve, and supported 

 by four ligaments, two inner ones thin, two outer thicker. Suckers pedunculated, with very 

 oblique, toothed, corneous margins ; two rows on sessile arms, with toeth on upper edge, and 

 four rows on distal end of long pair, with teetli all round larger ones. Long tentacular arms 

 not retractile, only moderately dilated towards distal end, with a small membranous crest on 

 midline of back, and a membranous margin outside the four rows of suckers ; the two inner 

 rows of suckers very large, two outer rows very small. A connecting membrane between the 

 3rd and 4th pair of arms only. Fins terminal, rliorahoidal. Internal dorsal pen narrow, 

 sliglitly widened in front, narrowing gradually towards posterior end, which slightly dilates and 

 ends in a simple conical cavity ; the margins and midline are thickened ridges.] 



Description. — Body long-, cylindrical for half its length, or nearly to origin of 

 fin, and thence rapidly and abruptly tapering to posterior end. Fin slightly obtuse; 

 lateral angles 100°, about |ths the length of body to edge of mantle. Sessile arms, 

 2nd pair equalling the 3rd, 1st pair equalling the 4th ; dorsal and ventral pairs equal, 

 and smaller than the second and third pairs, which are equal to each other ; third pair 

 compressed, triangular in section, wider and more compressed than the others, with 

 a membranous border (three lines wide) on ventral edge, and one-half the width on 

 the other edge ; the other arms without membranous borders. Suckers in two rows, 

 with 9 to 11 teeth on higher part of oblique edge, lower part of edge smooth. Two 

 tentacular arms as long as body, lanceolate and slightly dilated towards distal end, 

 tapering to extremity, with a prominent membranous keel on back of distal portion ; 

 suckers of two large, middle rows, with 15 teeth all round each; small suckers of two 

 outer rows with HO teeth, smaller on lower edge ; apical inch and half with ■! rows 

 of small, sub-equal suckers, then 3 inches on which the 8 suckers of each middle 

 row are very much larger than the rest, and then for 2 inches the suckers are small, 

 sub-equal, and in two rows only. Internal pen as long as mantle, acutely angular 

 (at 50') at widest anterior end, which, in figured specimen, is 6 lines wide, gradually 

 tapering to 1 line wide at 9 inches from tip; then widening again in middle of 



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