348 A. E. Verrill — N'orth American Cephalopods. 



full-grown. Body short, thick, swollen, with the mantle smooth. 

 Ventral surface, in the middle, with a large, somewhat flattened, 

 brown, heart-shaped or shield-shaped area, bordered with blue, and 

 surrounded, except in front, by a silvery white band, having a pearly 

 or opalescent luster. Eyes large, with roundish pupils. Fins large, 

 thin, broadly rounded, in the living specimens nearly as long as the 

 body; the posterior lobe readies nearly to the end of the body ; the 

 anterior edge extends beyond the front of the mantle to the eye. 

 The anterior edge of the mantle is einarginate beneath ; it recedes 

 laterally to a great extent; above, it is broadly attached to the head. 

 Sessile arms, largely webbed, short ; upper ones shortest ; third pair 

 longest ; suckers in two rows. Tentacular arms slendei", tapering, 

 extending back to the end of the body; club not wider than the arm, 

 with very minute suckers, in many rows. 



Upper surface of the body opalescent in some lights, thickly spot- 

 ted with orange-brown, spots most numerous in the middle line and 

 extending to the upper surface of the head ; some also occur on the 

 outer surfaces of the arms ; anterior part of the head white ; fins, 

 arms and extremity of body translucent bluish white ; upper surface 

 of the eyes opalescent, with silvery blue and red tints ; head, beloAV 

 the eyes, silvery white ; above the eyes, blue. 



The largest specimen, ( $ ) taken in 1879, (PI. XXXI, fig. 5), wlien 

 living had the head, above, in front of the eyes, whitish, with a few^ 

 chromatophores ; back and the base of the fins thickly spotted with 

 brown ; posterior part of the back with an emerald-green iridescence. 

 Sides of the body, below the fins, and posterior end of the body, 

 silvery white. A large shield-shaped ventral area of brown, with a 

 bright blue iridescence, and bordered with a band of brilliant blue, 

 occupies most of the lower surface. Fins, transparent wiiitish, except 

 at base. Lower side of head, siphon and outer bases of the arms, 

 light brown. Eyes blue above, green below. The fins are large, 

 nearly as long as the body. 



Length of the original type-specimen ( $ ), to the base of the arms, 

 14""", in nleohol; of mantle, above, 8'"'"; breadth, 7"""; breadth 

 across fins, 16""". The largest specimen, of 1879, is ;U""" (1-25 inch) 

 long from end of body to base of arms ; breadth of body, 25""" (1 inch) ; 

 length of arms, 19"'"> (-75 inch). 



Tlie male (fig. 5) of this species differs from the female in having 

 a group of three or four decidedly and abru|)tly larger suckers on the 

 middle of the third pair of ai-ms, (PI. LIV, fig. 4) ; the other suck- 

 ers, along the middle portion of these arms, are also larger than on 

 the other arms. 



