8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 123 



short tentacles, simple clubs, long tail, superficial position of cephalic 

 vein and funnel bridles, spindle-shaped liver, and absence of photo- 

 phores (pi. 1a, e). The two larval forms can be distinguished only 

 by close examination. As the "doratopsis" develops, the adult club 

 begins to form on the tentacular stalk, light organs appear on the 

 viscera, eyes, ventral arms, and tentacles, and the head begins to 

 shorten. At metamorphosis, the tentacles become greatly elongated ; 

 the early larval club is lost, and the body proportions change. 



As the larval Valbyteuthis develops, only a few changes occur, 

 of which the shortening of the head is the most noticeable. Even 

 though our large specimens are not sexually mature, no evidence of an 

 impending metamorphosis exists, and it is clear that these specimens 

 represent the adult form and are not oversized larvae. Therefore, 

 while Chiroteuthis undergoes considerable change during development, 

 Valbyteuthis remains approximately at the "doratopsis" stage. 



The above discussion reveals that Valbyteuthis closely resembles 

 Chiroteuthis. The similarities are particularly strong between Val- 

 byteuthis and the larval "doratopsis" stage of Chiroteuthis. Therefore, 

 although these two genera are clearly distinct, it is not possible to 

 maintain the more recently described family, the Valbyteuthidae, as 

 a distinct taxon, and it is placed herein in the synonymy of the family 

 Chiroteuthidae. 



Summary 



Valbyteuthis clanae Joubin, 1931 is redescribed based on Dana and 

 Eltanin material from the type-locality. 



The known distribution of the genus Valbyteuthis extends in the 

 Eastern Pacific from 40° S to 35° N and throughout the Atlantic from 

 25° S to 46° N. 



The family Valbyteuthidae is submerged in the family Chiroteu- 

 thidae, primarily on the basis of the similarities between Valbyteuthis 

 and certain larval chiroteuthids ("doratopsis" type). Valbyteuthis 

 remains a distinct genus. 



