A. E. Verrill — North American Cephalopods. 301 



subequal, with a basal web and lateral membranes; suckers smallest 

 on the ventral arms, and urceolate ; largest and flatish on the mid- 

 dle of the lateral and dorsal arms ; feebly toothed. Pen extending 

 the whole length of the body, very slender and of uniform width for 

 more than half the length, then becoming broad-lanceolate, the term- 

 inal portion having the edges involute, forming a long slender cone, 

 into which the ovary extends. Nidamental glands large, symmetri- 

 cally developed on the two sides. Gills small, situated in front of 

 the middle of the body. 



The genus Taonius was proposed by Steenstrup to include this and 

 T. pavo (Les. sp.), but he has never, to my knowledge, definitely de- 

 fined the genus. As T. pavo appears to be generically distinct from 

 the present genus, 1 propose to retain 2\(onms, with T. jicivo for its 

 type. By many writers T. pavo has been placed in LoUgopsis, or 

 Leachia. Steenstrup himself, formerly referred D. hyperhorea to 

 Leachia. By Tryon, both have been referred back to Loligopsis. 



Loligopsis^ as defined by D'Orbigny, in 1839, included T. pavo, as 

 well as the type of Leachia, but he referred Lamarck's original type 

 of Loligopsis to the genus, as emended by him, only with doubt. 



It seems desirable, therefore, to explain this confusion, so far as 

 possible. 



Loligopsis \-^2im?iYck,* 1812 and 1822, was based only on an im- 

 perfect figure, made by Peron. of a small oceanic squid, which had 

 lost its tentacular arms. The supposed character of having eight 

 arms was, for him, tlie only basis for the genus, no others being men- 

 tioned. The species [L. Peronii) was, however, described very 

 briefly as a small squid with eight equal arms and two posterior, dis- 

 tinct caudal fins, and it was compared to Sepiola. It has apparently 

 not been rediscovered by later writers, unless L. cJivysojyJithalma 

 D'Orb., be the same species, which is quite possible. The latter, as 

 figured, is a small, short-hodiecl species, with distinct, separate, small, 

 caudal fins, tohich are free from the end of the body ; its mantle- 

 edge is also represented as free, dorsally. This evidently is a generic 

 type distinct from Taonius and Desmoteuthis. Indeed, it probably 

 will be found not to belong to the same family, when actually 

 studied. Therefore it seems necessary to allow the name Loligopsis 

 to remain connected with such small, short-bodied species, fi^r which, 

 alone, it was originally used. The genus, in its original sense, cannot 

 yet be regarded as fully established. 



*Extr. de Conrs de Zool, p. 123, 1812 (t. D'Orb.); Animaux sans vert., vii, p. 659, 

 1822. 



