EINAR LÖNNBERG: NOTES ON SPIRULA RETICU1 \T\ 





hand, the muscles relax and the circular oiks contract, the "central papilla" protrudes 

 again in the cavity of the cup and the suck.r loosens its grip. As the peduncl 

 lateral and not central, it is evident that tl ntral papilla", also, mu I xccntric 



and lateral, which can be seen from the figure (Fig. 10). 



The right tentacle, which is complete, is thrown out and extended, and does 

 not reach to the posterior end of the bod)', hardly to the middle of the shi II 

 The tentacles are thus shorter than in the West-Indian (Blake) specimen. The stem 

 of the tentacle tapers a little towards the base of the terminal "club" 

 which carries the suckers. The "club" is not strongly developed, huta little broader 

 than the distal part of the stem and blunt at the tip. The suckers an ly i rowded, 



but, although irregularly disposed, one can distinguish 6 or 7 longitudinal o ■ . 

 one side of the club there extends a "protective membrane" which 1- broad* r towards 

 the tip (Fig. 6 p). The length of the area on which the suckers are situal bout 



5 mm. The suckers are pedunculated and the peduncl« s an as long as the diam 

 of the cup, or a little longer, and have the same structure with circular and longi- 

 tudinal fibres as those of the sessile arms. The armature of the cups seems al 

 be exactly similar to that of the brachial cup 



The mouth is not situated in the centre of the oral disk between the arms, 

 but much nearer the dorsal pair (Fig. 5). The lips are well developed round the 

 mouth and show, especially on their internal surfaces, longitudinal folds. On the 

 ventral side a buccal membrane extends downwards from the mouth and forms a 

 pocket, but on the dorsal side it is continuous round the upper lip and lies 

 the same (Fig. 5) so that it may be identical with the "exterior lips" of Spirula pe- 

 rmit according to Pelseneer and Huxley (1. c. p. 19), but the lips in our Spirilla 

 reticulata ("the interior lips") are thicker than the buccal membrane ("the exterior 

 lips") 1 . In Spirula peronii "the mouth is situated in the middle of the oral disk", 

 according to Pelseneer (1. c. p. 19), but according to Owen's Fig. 5 PI. I in Ann & 

 Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5, vol. Ill it seems to be dorsal in Spirula australis. 



The mandible seems to be rather strong and is dark brownish-black. 



The eyes are open as on Spirula peronti (Pelseneer) so that these ani- 

 mals are true OEgopsids, that is, so far as the eyes are concerned. In our specimen 

 the palpebral opening is circular without any emargination or "sinus lacrimalis' 

 The iris is provided with dark purplish-brown pigment. Its opening is very la 

 about 3 mm. in diameter. The crystalline lens fills this opening of the iris. The lens 



1 Owen also uses the terms "inner and outer lips" ..! Spirula australis. but 1. 

 identical with the "buccal membrane" of other Cephalopods. 



-' In this respect, therefore. Spirula differs from the 0J 



