76 



U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETEST 291 



homdifera from the eastern Pacific. Figure IT shows the average num- 

 ber of suckers on each arm of Antarctic abysslcola and of hacldifera. 



1. Bathyteuthis ahyssicola 



B. ahyssicola from areas other than the Antarctic tends to have more 

 suckers than the Southern Ocean form. Tlie numbers of suckers for 

 Atlantic and eastern Pacific ahyssicola fall between those of hacldifera 

 and Antarctic ahyssicola (fig. 16). In specimens below about 17-20 

 mm ML considerable overlap occurs in numbers of suckers, but in 

 larger specimens a trend toward more suckers exists in Atlantic and 

 eastern Pacific specimens. In fact, specimens of ahyssicola from the 

 eastern Pacific closely approach hacldifera in numbers of suckers. 

 Since the number of observations on the two forms is small, however, 

 I shall not place much emphasis on the apparent differences other 

 than to mention that geographical variation exists in this character. 



Number of Suckers 

 180i 



150 



120 



9a 



60 



30 



ego 



X o o 



/o 

 o 



^. 



o o o 



#oo 8,^ 



X * 



X o 



o« 



o* o 



^ 



; B.bocidifefo 

 B. obytiicolo i 



• E Pacific 

 o Antarctic 



• Atlantic 



«o • 



ML 10 



ARMS 



Figure 16. — Number of suckers on the arms of Bathyteuthis ahyssicola from the Antarctic, 

 Atlantic, and eastern tropical Pacific Oceans and of B. bacidifera. 



