zio DISCOVERY REPORTS 



ranges appropriate to their developmental fin stage. There is one immature adult, five metamor- 

 phosing larvae (stage 4 or 4-5), and three younger larvae. 



4. The number of pairs of primary cirri adds nothing to the hypothesis that there is a racial difference 

 in this respect between the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations. Nevertheless the tabulation of 

 known data is still heavily weighted in favour of the view that Atlantic specimens tend to have an 

 additional pair of primary cirri on all arms. One Atlantic specimen with a minimum of only four 

 pairs is recorded. 



5. The six Atlantic specimens are from the Guinea and Angola Basins where Vampyroteuthis is 

 known to occur. The three Indian Ocean specimens provide a corresponding number of unique 

 records, from the Somali Basin, the eastern extension of the Agulhas Basin and the region of junction 

 of the Indo-Australian and South Australian Basins. The last two records tend to confirm the hypo- 

 thesis of open communication between the Vampyroteuthis populations of the Atlantic, Indian and 

 Pacific Oceans by pathways passing south of South Africa and south of Australia. 



6. The vertical distribution of the Discovery specimens, from 600 to 3000 m., is rather accurately 

 known through the use of closing nets and depth-recording gauges. The range corresponds with 

 previous estimates in which depth of capture was taken to be at one-half the length of the cable. 

 The upper limit for the species is probably not less than 500 m. 



7. Hydrographical data are available for four Atlantic and two Indian Ocean specimens. Three 

 Atlantic specimens are from South Atlantic Central Water, expected but not hitherto known to be 

 inhabited by Vampyroteuthis. The specimen from the Somali Basin is from a region of high salinity 

 and temperature where the Red Sea Water flows out into the Indian Equatorial Water. The two 

 remaining specimens are from Atlantic Deep and Indian Deep Water respectively. 



8. The newly recorded specimens are distributed within previously established co-ordinates 

 delimiting the salinity (34-4-35-4 % ), temperature (2-10 C), and density (a t 27-0-27-9) tolerances 

 of the species. 



REFERENCES 



Chun, C, 1914. Cephalopoda. II. Teil: Myopsida. Wiss. Ergebn. Deutschen Tiefsee Exped. xvm. 

 R.R.S. Discovery. Station List 1925-1927. Discovery Reports, 1. 

 R.R.S. Discovery II. Station List 1933-1935. Discovery Reports, xxn. 



Station List 1935—1937. Discovery Reports, xxiv. 



Pickford, G. E., 1946. Vampyroteuthis infernalis Chun. An archaic dibranchiate cephalopod. I. Natural history and distribu- 

 tion. Dana Report No. 29. 



1949a. Vampyroteuthis infernalis Chun. An archaic dibranchiate cephalopod. II. External anatomy. Dana Report 



No. 32. 



19496. The distribution of the eggs of Vampyroteuthis infernalis Chun. Journ. Marine Res. vm (1), 73-83. 



1950- The Vampyromorpha (Cephalopoda) of the Bermuda Oceanographic Expeditions. Zoologica (N.Y.), xxxv, 87-95. 



Sverdrup, H. V., Johnson, M. W. & Fleming, R. H., 1942. The Oceans (New York). 



Thiele, J., in Chun (1914), V ampyroteuthidae, pp. 534-6. 



