SVENSKA EXPEDITIONEN TILL MAGELLANSLÄNDERNA BD II N:0 4. 51 



forinol on these animals because the other speciniens show tlie 

 same aspect with regard to their skin. 



The colour of the preserved aninial is dark violet. 

 The dimensions of the specialen are as follows: 

 End of body to mantlemargin . 11 V 2 cm. 



Breadth of body 11 » 



» liead 7 



Width of umbrella from mouth 12 



Length of first arms 



» » second » 



» » third » 



» » forth » 

 The small specimen agrees 

 although it is of lighter colour. 



only seven arms, of the eighth not even a trace can be seen. 

 Rochebrune and J. Mabille have given some very short notes 1 

 on two young Octopus, but it is evident that this one is 

 quite different from them as well in colour as in shape, the 

 umbrella especially, being larger in the young 0. patagonicus. 



Gonatus antarcticus n. sp. 



1 specimen, Punta Arenas V 4 1896 »on the 'playa' after a storm». 



1 specimen without label. 



A careful investigation of these specimens shows that 

 they represent the genus Gonatus as they oifer all the 

 characteristics peculiar to that genus, namely, the ventral 

 arms provided with four series of suckers, the dorsal and 

 lateral arms with two series of hooks and two lateral series of 

 cups, the tentacles armed with two large and three small hooks 

 and a great number of small cups on the distal end of the club, 

 the connective apparatus formed by 6 cups and 6 cushions 

 at the margin of the club, the stems of the tentacles carrying a 

 very large number of minute suckers, the fins extending beyond 

 the posterior end of the body etc. But on the other hand they diff er 

 from the arctic circumpolar Gonatus fabricii in some respects so 

 that there cannot arise any doubt as to their representing a new 

 hitherto undescribed species for which I proposethename »antarc- 

 ticus». The most striking feature is perhaps the reduction of 



1 Miss. Scientif. da Cap Hörn 1882—1883 T. VI Zool. H. Mollusques. 



