m 



U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 291 



this manuscript was completed. The present description, an amplifica- 

 tion of the original (Roper, 1968), and pertinent parts of the original 

 discussion are inserted here for the sake of completeness. 



R. E. Young has compiled the capture data for the specimens of 

 B. herryi that are currently available from the VeJero collections in 

 southern California waters. The specimens were distributed in 100 m 

 increments as follows : 1 from 100-200 m, 1 from 300-400 m, 3 from 

 800-900 m, 5 from 1000-1100 m, and 5 from 1100-1200 m. The 1200 m 

 level is the maximum depth sampled during the program. The two 

 individuals from shallow water were taken in tows that had been 

 preceded by tows that had fished at depths greater than 1000 m. It is 

 reasonably safe to assume that these specimens were contaminants 

 that had stuck in the net from the preceding deep tows. It seems likely 

 also that only the shallow segment of the population of B. herryi was 

 sampled at depths of 800-1200 m and that the bulk of the population 

 lives below 1200 m. 



The three species of Bathyteuthis may be distinguished on the 

 basis of several features, the most prominent of which are presented 

 in the following list : 



1 The numbers in parentheses represent the approximate number of suckers on each of the six dorsalmost 

 arms from specimens of about the same size (49 mm ML) . 



■ The size of the sperm mass, cement body, and ejaculatory apparatus respectively expressed as a per- 

 centage of the total length of the spermatophores. 



The most striking and easily recognized character of hacidifera is 

 the presence of long, finger-like trabeculae on the arms that have no 

 interconnecting protective membrane. This feature is apparent even 

 on the smallest larva available (6 mm ML) and readily separates the 

 species. Both abyssicola and herryl possess thick, fleshy protective 

 membranes. Considerable variation exists in the membranes, but they 

 are always present and connect unmodified trabeculae. 



