318 Proce6di7igs of the Royal Physical Society. 



surf am of the hack either directly continuous with that of the 

 head, or marked off, if at all, hy an exceedingly slight fold. 

 Mantle also connected with the body at either side of the base of 

 the funnel. Funnel devoid of a valve, hut 'possessing Ver rill's 

 organ} Fins meeting at the posteinor end of the hody usually 

 in a 'point. Arms short compared with the hody, furnished 

 with two rows of globular suckers. Tentacles present, and bear- 

 ing four rows of suckers on the distal extremity (T. pavo 

 douhtfid as regards the last point, owing to mutilation). 

 Gladius long and narrow, someiuhat expanded towards the fins 

 and forming a hollow pointed cone behind. 



Taonius pavo (Lesueur), Steenstrup. 



1821. Loligo 2MV0, Les., Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., vol. ii., p. 96, pi. 



1823. ,, „ Blainv., Journ. d. Phys., t. xcvi., p. 133. 



1839. Loligopsis 2ycivo (pars), d'Orb. et Fer. , Ceph. Acet. , p. 321, Calmavs. 



pi. vi. (exc. fig. 4), Loligopsis, pi. iv., figs. 1-8. 

 1849. ,, „ Gray, B. M. C. Moll., part i., p. 40. 



1861. Taonius „ Stp., Overblik, pp. 70 (2), 84 (16). 

 1879. Loligopsis ,, Tryon, Man. Conch., p. 163. 

 1882. Taonitis ,, Verrill, Ceph. N. E. Amer., p. 130. 



Desmoteuthis hyperhorea {'i), Id., Ibid., p. 126. 

 1884. Loligoims pavo, Rochebr., Monogr. Loligopsidse, p. 13 (5). 



As above mentioned, this is the type of the genus Taonius. 

 It has also been described at considerable length by d'Orbigny, 

 and with a considerable amount of illustration ; but, unfor- 

 tunately, he has based his description upon two specimens 

 which are by no means identical, a fact which was first 

 pointed out by de Eochebrune {loc. cit.), who has entered one 

 of them in his Monograph as Loligopsis pavo (the type of 

 Lesueur), the other (the specimen from Madeira) as Phasma- 

 topsis cymoctypus. 



It becomes therefore essential to inquire what parts of 

 d'Orbigny's description refer to each several specimen, and, 

 thanks to the courtesy of Dr de Eochebrune, I am able to 

 give some information on this head. 



1 By this name I denote an apparatus which has been found in every species 

 of Taonius examined by me, except T. cymoctypus. It consists of two pads 

 within the funnel near its base, and a little posterior to them in the middle 

 line one or two tubercles. It is figured by Verrill, who first noticed it, in his 

 Desmoteuthis tenera {loc. cit., PI. xlv., Fig. 2d.). 



