[ 179 ] CErHALOPODS OF NORTHEASTERN COAST OF AMERICA. 
Parasira catenulata Steenstrup. 
Octopus tuberculatus Risso(f), Hist. nat. del’Eur. m<?rid., iv, p. 3,1826 (t.d’Orbig.). 
Octopus catenulatus Ftirussac, Pjoulpes, pi. 6, bis, ter., 1828 (t. D’Orbig.). 
Philonexis tuberculatus F<;r. and D'Orbig., C4ph. Ac6tab., p. 87, pi. 6, bis, ter. 
Parasira catenulata Steenstrup, Vidensk. Meddel. natnrb. Forening, Kjdben- 
bavn, 1860, p. 333. 
Verrill, Amer. Jouru. Sci., xix, p. 293, Apr., 1880; Trans. Conn. Acad.,v, p. 
362, pi. 33, figs. 2,2 a, 1881. 
Plate XL, figures 2,2a. 
Female: Body relatively large, swollen, rather higher than broad, 
dilated below, larger in front, obtusely rounded posteriorly; upper sur¬ 
face smooth or finely wrinkled; lower surface covered with prominent, 
rounded verrucae, or small hard tubercles, which are connected together 
by raised ridges, five (sometimes six) of which usually run to each 
tubercle, thus circumscribing angular depressed areas, each of which 
usually has a dark-colored spot in the center; on the sides these tuber¬ 
cles are less prominent and less regular, gradually fading out above. 
The head is decidedly smaller than the body, and smooth both above 
and below. The eyes are prominent, but the external opening is small, 
round, with simple border. The gill-opening is large, and extends up¬ 
ward on the sides of the neck to the level of the upper side of the eye¬ 
balls. The siphon-tube is completely united by its basal portion to the 
lower side of the head; its free portion is large and elongated, starting 
from well forward, between the bases of the ventral arms. There is a con¬ 
spicuous aquiferous pore, at each side of the base of the siphon, just back 
of the ventral arms. The arms are stout, not very long; the inner sur¬ 
face is broad, with two rows of rather widely separated suckers, which 
run along the margins of the arms; the suckers are leather large, and 
considerably raised, on stout bases; the first suckers form a regular 
circle around the mouth; two or three basal suckers are nearly in a 
single row. The suckers are cup-shaped, with a deep central pit, around 
which there are strong radial ridges; toward the base of the arms the 
soft, swollen rims of the suckers are wrinkled and lobulated; farther 
out they are smooth and even. The beak is black, with sharp tips. It 
is surrounded by a thick, wrinkled buccal membrane. 
The arms are slightly united at base by a narrow web, which also 
runs along each of the outer angles of the six upper arms, forming more 
or less wide marginal membranes, according to the state of contraction, 
and by their contractions causing the arms to curl in various directions; 
one of these membranes frequently disappears, the other being so 
stretched as to become wide, when the arm is strongly recurved ; on the 
ventral arms the upper membrane becomes strongly developed, while 
the lower one is abortive. There is also a slight marginal membrane 
along the inner margins, running between the suckers and connecting 
them together. The dorsal and ventral arms are considerably larger and 
longer than the two lateral pairs, the dorsal ones are the stoutest. The 
two lateral pairs are about equal in size and length. On the dorsal 
arms there are about 96 suckers; on the lateral ones about 80 that can 
