CEPHALOPODS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



111 



The eyeball bears a row of light organs on its ventral periphery. 

 These are arranged in a row of eight photophores, as follows : Proceed- 

 ing posteriorly, No. 1 is large, oval, white, slightly pointed posteriorly. 

 Posterior to 1, lie 2, 3, 4, and 5, all of which are small, round, yellowish, 

 and of about equal size. The posterior-most is no, 6 which is similar 

 to 1 but pointed anteriorly. Midway between photophores 1 and 2 

 lies a minute round yellowish photophore, No. 7, which is somewhat 

 dorsally located. Similarlly, between 3 and 4 is 8, again a minute, 

 dorsally situated round organ. The arrangement is the same on 

 both eyes. 



The specimen is a gravid female and the posterior half of the mantle 

 cavity is filled with eggs, the largest about 0.8 by 0.6 mm. The above 

 description is based on the holotype. 



Measurements (in mm.) of five females of Ahralia lucens, new 

 species, are as follows : 



Type. — U.S. National Museum 575449. 



Type locality. — Port Dupan, Leyte. 



Discussion. — This new species of Ahralia is closely allied to 

 stein dachneri, renschi and spdrcki but can be distinguished from stein- 

 dachneri by the smaller number of club hooks and the larger number of 

 ocular light organs. It may be separated from renschi by the beauti- 

 fully regular striping of the mantle photophores in the latter and 

 finally from spdrcki by the presence of only thi-ee rows of light organs 

 on the ventral arms and the lack of a large white photophore within 

 the funnel groove near the base of the first nuchal fold. 



It appears to be, on the basis of its present distribution, a more 

 oceanic species than the other known species of the subgenus. The 

 name lucens is from the Latin lucens meaning bright or shining. 



Distribution. — Line Islands, Oceania! Philippines! 



