Historical Resume 



The initial account by Hoyle of the cephalopods collected by HMS 

 Chxillenge-r appeared in the narrative of the cruise that was published 

 in May 1885. Hoyle's brief comments dealt primarily with the more 

 unusual cephalopods captured, and a number of new genera and species 

 were erected. One very curious decapod, according to Hoyle, was the 

 small specimen taken in the Southern Ocean between Prince Edward 

 and Crozet Islands by a dredge (trawl) haul that fislied at 1600 

 fathoms (2900 m). Appropriately, he named this species Bathyteuthis 

 abyssicola. The original description was brief, but, in conjunction with 

 its accompanying illustration, it adequately established the species. 

 Hoyle listed these important features (p. 272) : body tapering to a 

 blunt point; fins small, round; head broad, with prominent eyes; oral 

 membrane with suckers ; arms short with minute, biserially arranged 

 suckers; tentacles with unexpanded clubs but gradually ta^^ering to 

 a point anned with numerous, very small suckers; pen resembling that 

 of Ommastrephes. 



Hoyle stated that the structure of this form seemed to adapt it for 

 life in the great depths, justifying the belief that it actually came from 

 the 1600-fathom depth reached by the trawl. He further stated (pp. 

 272-273) that the ". . . small fins are in marked contrast to those of 

 pelagic species, while the small suckers and delicate tentacles are 

 equally little fitted for raptorial purposes ; but, on the other hand, the 

 large circumoral lip would seem well suited for collecting nutritive 

 matters from an oozy bottom." 



Shortly after the narrative was published Hoyle brought out his 

 diagnosis (1885a) of new species of cephalopods collected during the 

 cruise of HMS Challenger. In this he not only described new species 

 which had not been described in the narrative (primarily species of 

 Loligo and Sepia)., but also included the previously described 

 Promachoteuthis and Flistiopsis. However, Bathyteuthis, the only 

 other new decapod in the Ohallenger collections, curiously was omitted. 



The third catalog of Mollusca published by Verrill (1885) contained 

 a number of new species of cephalopods that were captured by the U.S. 

 Fish Commission Steamer Albatross in 1884 off southeastern New 

 England. Among the new species were two small specimens that repre- 

 sented a new genus as well, which Verrill named Benthoteuthis 

 megalops. As was his practice, he did not assign the new genus to a 

 family. 



