134 U.S. NATIONAL RIUSEUM BULLETIN 234 



Subfamily Ommastrephinae 



Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis (Lesson, 1830) 



Figure 29 



Loligo oualaniensis Lesson, 1830, p. 240. 

 Ommastrephes oualaniensis, d'Orbigny, 1835, p. 351. 

 Ommatostrephes oualaniensis, Steenstrup, 1880, p. 76. 



Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis, Pfeffer, 1900, p. 180; 1912, p. 502. — Sasaki, 1929, p. 

 296.— Adam, 1954, p. 157.— Voss, 1954, p. 365. 



Material. — 50 juv., ML 14.0-71.0 mm., from Taal Anchorage. 

 Balayan Bay, Luzon, evening with electric light; USNM 575399. 

 9 juv., ML 21.0-36.0 mm., Varadero Harbor, Mmdoro, July 23, 1908. 

 0030-0145, with electric light at ship's side. 



Description. — All the specimens available are very small juveniles 

 with the single exception of the young specimen of 71.0 mm. ML. The 

 following description is based upon this single individual. 



The mantle is long, slender, and cylindrical, with parallel sides. 

 The dorsal mantle margin is shaUowly produced in the median line, 

 but the margin is slightly excavated below the funnel. The mantle 

 tapers rapidly at the level of the fins and ends in a sharp point. 



The fins are small and terminal with straight margins and acute 

 pointed lateral angles. The anterior lobes are free. 



The funnel is small and compact, deeply set into the ventral side 

 of the head. The groove is sharply set off from the head by a ridge ; 

 it bears in its anterior portions a halfmoon-shaped foveola with eight 

 longitudinal ridges and with three pockets on each side. There is a 

 very large terminal valve. The funnel organ is of the usual omma- 

 strephid type. The locking apparatus is an inverted T-type but at 

 the junction of the grooves the mantle and funnel are fused together 

 so that they cannot be detached. 



The head is small, compact, and sharply set off from the neck by a 

 transverse ridge. There are three nuchal folds on each side of the 

 head. The eyes are small and the eyelids form a rounded triangle, 

 truncated behind and with a sharp narrow sinus in the anterior border. 



The arms are short, in the order 3.2.4.1. They are squarish in 

 cross-section with a sharp ridge in the lower angle of II and III and 

 the upper angle of IV. Ill is strongly keeled. The arm suckers are 

 biserial and are protected on either side by a deep trabeculate mem- 

 brane. The arm suckers are round and the horny ring bears about 

 12 sharp teeth laterally and distally, of which the median is largest. 

 In the 71.0 m. specimen, the horny ring is smooth basaUy. There is 

 a narrow papiQated band. 



