BATHYPELAGIC SQUID BATHYTEUTHIS 61 



Table II. — Range and average of diameters of inner sucker rings from 

 B. abyssicola and B. bacidifera 



[Measurements in millimeters] 



Morphometric Comparison 



The plots for mantle width in relation to mantle length show the 

 same proportional increase in both species of BathyteutMs (fig. 1). 

 The two largest specimens of hacidlfera. are 37 mm in ML ; one has a 

 mantle width of 19 mm while the other is 15 mm. The narrower width 

 falls well within the range for abyssicola of about the same ML; the 

 greater width is one or two mm wnder than would be expected in 

 abyssicola of the same size, but the specimen, the holotype (pi. 6), is 

 a fully ripe female swollen with eggs. With the material at hand 

 bacidifera does not seem to differ greatly from abyssicola in mantle 

 width. 



• o .o o o» • 





o c,*occ 



B.oby»icolQ 



Figure 1. — Bathyteuthis abyssicola, B. bacidifera: scatter diagram of mantle length vs. 



mantle width. 



The plot for the length of the head of abyssicola and bacidifera 

 shows narrow limits in specimens of less than 30 mm mantle length. 

 Above 30 mm the head length becomes slightly more variable, but in 

 general it continues the trend established in younger specimens. The 



