Pickfordiateuthis pulchella Voss, 1953. 



Though considered rare, this small, epibenthic squid was observed 

 to be quite common in the area to the west of the habitat on the 

 sand-algal plain. They were consistently found during daylight hours 

 in schools of 30 to 60 individuals or in most cases male and female 

 mate pairs. The mate pairs, and occasionally individuals, were with- 

 out exception found close to the sand bottom, usually among green 

 algal growth. However, the larger schools (sometimes 60 individuals) 

 were found suspended from one to three meters above the bottom in 

 close formation. These squid were not observed over or near the reef 

 at any time. 



Loligo ( Dorytheuthis ) plei Blainville, 1823, 



Larval squid, belonging to this species were noted occasionally at 

 night in the vicinity of the habitat. Single individuals or schools 

 of 20 to 30 were observed when found. Members of a given school are 

 oriented at random, unlike the pattern found within Sepioteuthis 

 schools. No posture or color displays were seen, though this may be 

 a function of their age. 



CONCLUSIONS 



Our main project was designed to test the feasibility of in situ in- 

 vestigations of cephalopod biology. The results far exceeded our 

 expectations. No single previous study, to our knowledge, has been 

 able to collect as much observational data on behavior and biology 

 of as many different species of cephalopods in such a short time period. 

 None of the projects could be carried to completion due to time limi- 

 tations, but the amount of information obtained and the nature of this 

 information demonstrates the value of saturation diving. Of partic- 

 ular note was the advantage of making i^ situ observations at night 

 from the convenience of the habitat. It is obvious that our observa- 

 tions could not have been accumulated by surface based diving alone, 

 nor by laboratory (aquarium) studies, or random sampling techniques. 

 However, when combined with the above methods, in comparison or con- 

 trast, valuable information is provided which fills gaps in our knowl- 

 edge of coral reefs and their inhabitants. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Storr, John F. 1965. An underwater ecological survey of the western 

 end of St. Thomas Island. Underwater Naturalist. 3(2): 24-41, 



Voss, G. 1964, Octopus def ilippi Verany, 1851, an addition to the 

 cephalopod fauna of the Western Atlantic. Bull. Mar. Sci, of the Gulf 

 and Caribbean, 14(4): 554-560. 



Voss, G. , and Solis, Ramairez M. 1966. Octopus maya , a new species 

 from the Bay of Campeche, Mexico. Bull. Mar. Sci, of the Gulf and 

 Caribbean. 16(3): 615-625. (included in this paper is a key to the 

 shallow water species of Octopus of the Tropical Western Atlantic.) 



VI-228 



