300 A. E. Verrill — North American Cephalopods. 



Histioteuthis Collinsii Verriii. 



Amer. Journ. Sci., xvii, p. 241, March, 1879; xix, p. 290, 1880. 

 Tryon, Man. Conch., i, p. 166, 1879, (copied from preceding.) 

 Yerrill, this vol., p. 234, Plate 22, Feb., 1879. 



Pl.\te XXIT. Plate XXVII, figures 3-5. Plate XXXVII, figure 6. 



Ill addition to the original specimen, figured and described in Part 

 I of this article (see p. 234), another specimen, represented by the 

 jaws alone, has been received by the U. S. Fish Commission, from 

 the Gloucester fisheries. (Lot 843.) 



This was obtained on the Western Bank, ofi" Nova Scotia. 



Another beak was dredged by the " Fish Hawk," at station 893, 

 south of Newport, E. I., in 3*72 fathoms. 



These jaws agree well in size and all other characters, with those 

 of the original specimen (PI. XXVII, fig. 4). 



Family. — Desmoteuthid^ nov. 



For the reception of the genera, Desmoteuthis Y. and Taonius St., 

 as defined below, I propose to establish this new family, which has 

 hitherto been confounded with Gnmchidce and Loligopsidm. 



Body much elongated, pointed posteriorly ; caudal fin narrow, 

 terminal, mantle united to neck by a dorsal and two lateral muscular 

 commissures. Pen lance-shaped, as long as the mantle, with a long 

 narrow shaft ; blade incurved or hooded posteriorly. Oesophagus 

 and intestine very much elongated. Nidamental glands large, sym- 

 metrical. Eyes large, protuberant ; lids free and simple. No 

 auditory crests. Siphon large, with neither internal valve nor dorsal 

 bridle. Arms with depressed suckers. Tentacular arms with a 

 well-developed club, bearing suckers. 



Desmoteuthis, gen. nov. 



Taonius {pars) Steenstrup, 1861. 



Body very long, tapering backward to a long, slender, acute cau- 

 dal portion. Caudal fin long, narrow, tapering to a long acute tip. 

 Anterior edge of the mantle united directly to the head, on the dor- 

 sal side, by a commissure, so that there is no free edge, medially, 

 and the surface is continuous, as in Sepiola ; the dorsal commissure 

 extends backward and diverges within the mantle; two additional 

 muscular commissures unite the lateral inner surfaces of the mantle 

 to the sides of the siphon. Eyes very large and px'ominent, with sim- 

 ple cii'cular lids. No aquiferous pores. Siphon lai-ge and promi- 

 nent, with neither valve nor dorsal bridles. Arms small and short, 



