VALBYTEUTHIDAE — ROPER AND YOUNG 



vessel and station no. 



Chain 35-958 

 Shoyo Maru 8 

 Shoyo Maru 7 



Scot 77 



Velero iv-10265 



location 



09°17'N 49°04'W 

 39°12'S 106°48'W 

 40°09'S 109°38'W 



14°12'N 92°47'W 



mantle estimated 



length (in) depth of capture (m) 



55 530 



35, 34, 33 Alepisaurus stomach 



34 Alepisaurus or alba- 

 core stomach 

 15 300 



33°18'N 118°40'W 33,26,25 

 Valbyteuthis danae Joubin 



1200 



Valbyteuthis danae Joubin, 1931, p. 188. — Thiele, 1935, p. 971. 



Description. — This description is based only upon material cap- 

 tured in the region of the type-locality (Elt. 34; Dana 1206 v, 1203 

 xn, 1208 vn). Measurements are given on page 5. The mantle is 

 short and broad; the muscular portion tapers rapidly posteriorly 

 and terminates beneath the anterior third of the fins. Only the 

 integument continues posteriorly over the gladius. The mantle wall 

 is thin but muscular (pi. 2b). 



Fins are huge and extremely muscular; their length is about 50 

 percent of the mantle length and their width is about 80-85 percent 

 of the mantle length. The anterior lobes are attached to the dorso- 

 lateral sides of the mantle. The attached borders of the anterior 

 fin lobes are clearly visible beneath the integument and form a broad V. 

 The posterior border of each fin is indented slightly at the midline; 

 the lateral margin is semicircular in outline (pi. 2a). 



The gladius has a long, narrow, extremely delicate rhachis. The 

 short, thin vane arises abruptly near the anterior level of the fins, 

 folds rapidly ventrally, and fuses in the midline to form a long, slender 

 conus. The walls of the conus are much heavier than the anterior 

 portion of the gladius. The conus is rectangular in cross-section and 

 is broken just posterior to the fins. The terminal portion has been 

 lost in all specimens ; it is apparent, however, from the large diameter 

 and heavy construction of the conus that Valbyteuthis possesses 

 a long tail (pi. 2c) . 



The funnel is large and narrow and reaches the level of the middle 

 of the eyes. The funnel component of the locking apparatus is oval 

 and deeply concave, particularly at the posterior end, where the de- 

 pression tends to undercut the lateral margin. A distinct antitragus is 

 present on the posterior wall of the funnel component. The mantle 

 component is [human] nose shaped, with the tip directed posteriorly. 

 The component also curves laterally to conform to the deep lateral 

 depression of the funnel component. A small indentation that locks 

 with the antitragus is located beneath the tip at the posterior end of 

 the mantle component (pi. 4a, b). 



The dorsal member of the funnel organ is broadly triangular in 

 outline, with only a small posterior indentation. A spatulate papilla 



