A. E. Verrill — Molhisca of the New England Coast. 141 



Taonius and Des)noteuthis it dilFers still more widely, and evidently 

 has no near relationship with them. It shows more affinity with 

 Cheiroteuthis, in the connective cartilages and many other respects, 

 and like that genus has large ventral arms, with a special row of color 

 spots on them ; but there is nothing of the peculiar structure of the ten- 

 tacular suckers seen in the latter. Its nearest allies appear to be Galli- 

 teuthis V. and Brachiotexithis V., from both of which it is clearly dis- 

 tinct generically. It may, therefore, be referred to the family Cheiro- 

 teuthidm, along with the two last-named genera. 



Leptoteuthis diaphana Veniii, sp. nov. 



Plate XXXII, figure 1. 



A small, elongated, very slender, translucent species, with the head 

 very large and long, as compared to the body, its length being more 

 than half that of the body and tail taken together, and more than 

 three-fourths that of the body to the caudal fin. Sessile arms slender, 

 the ventral arms much larger and longer than the others, about equal 

 in length to the head and body to the base of the tail. Tentacular 

 arms long and slender. Caudal fin ovate, acutely pointed posteriorly. 



Head elongated, cylindrical, smooth, and nearly transparent, ex- 

 cept in the region of the eyes. The eyes are of moderate size, not 

 very prominent, with a broad, thin lower eyelid, but without any dis- 

 tinct lachrymal sinus. Body, in front of the fin, slender anteriorly, 

 about equal to the head in diameter, somewhat tapering backward to 

 the base of the caudal fin, and then abruptly narrowing to a very 

 slender caudal portion, running along the under surface of the fin like 

 a raid-rib and terminating in a very slender, acute tip. Anterior edge 

 of the mantle thin, very evenly truncated ventrally and laterally, but 

 extending on the dorsal side into a broad, angular, obtusely pointed 

 lobe. Caudal fin relatively large, elongated, ovate, decidedly broad- 

 est in the middle, narrowing distinctly anteriorly, with the anterior 

 lobes small, rounded, and projecting only slightly forward beyond 

 the inseition ; posteiiorly the fin narrows rapidly to a long, slender, 

 acuminate tip. Siphon well developed, with the terminal portion 

 elongated and free for some distance, strongly recurved in our speci- 

 men. Connective cartilages on the lateral base of the siphon small, 

 elliptical, somewhat ear-shaped, with a continuous, raised rim, and 

 with two small interior lobes, one of which is ventral and the other 

 posterior, leaving between them a small, deep sinus, directed down- 

 ward and backward. The corresponding cartilages on the inner sur- 

 face of the mantle are small prominent, somewhat triquetral tubercles, 



