430 A. M Verrill — North American Cephalopods. 



The number of the foreign species, mostly nominal and imperfectly 

 known, will undoubtedly be much reduced when they become 

 better known. Probably A. dux and A. Bouyeri are identical, but 

 there is as yet no proper zoological descii^jtion of either. The 

 former has been very briefly described by Gervais, and Harting has 

 published an outline figure of one of the mandibles. 



Family MASTIGOTEUTHID^E, nov. 



Body slender, pointed behind. Caudal fin large, rhombic. Mantle 

 united to neck by three movable cartilages. Siphon with an inter- 

 nal valve and one pair of doi'sal bridles. Eyes large, not promi- 

 nent ; lids free, simple. Buccal membrane 6-angled, without suckers. 

 Arms free; suckers in two rows. Tentacular arms (in the typical 

 species) not expanded into a club, the terminal portion round, taper- 

 ing, covered with a multitude of minute suckers, in many rows. 

 Neither auditory nor olfactory crests. Pen narrow, with a long, 

 hollow posterior cone. 



This family differs from Ommastrephldm in lacking a distinct 

 lachrymal sinus and olfactory frills, in the remarkable character of 

 the tentacular arms, and in the simple connective cartilages. 



MastigOteuthis Verrill. (See p. 296). 



7. MastigOteuthis Agassizii VerriU. (p. 297). 



Family CHIROTEUTHID^ Gray, (restricted). 



Loligopsidce (pars) D'Orb., Cephal. Acetab., p. 320, 1835-48. 

 Chiroteuthidce (pars) Gray, Brit. Mus. Catal., Moll., vol. i, p. 42, 1849. 



Body small; mantle with three movable connective cartilages. 

 Eyes not prominent, with free, simple lids; no sinus. Siphon small, 

 with an internal valve; no dorsal bridle. Olfactory crests absent. 

 Buccal membrane seven-angled, without suckers. Buccal aquiferous 

 openings six. Sessile arms large ; web rudimentary ; suckers with 

 toothed horny rings, encircled by a groove. Tentacular arms very 

 long and slender, with a large club; tip often with a spoon-shaped 

 organ, opening backward ; peduncle with sessile connective suckers ; 

 club with rows of singular small suckers, having a swollen biilb on 

 the long pedicel. Pen with a long, narrow shaft, posterior portion 

 involute, tubular. 



It is somewhat doubtful whether Callifeut/i is belongs to this family, 

 its tentacular arms being unknown. 



