CRANCHIID^. 29 



Dorsal lamina or pen absent. Cartilaginous support wanting, 

 the mantle and siphon being united by a muscular ligament ; 

 mantle border joined dorsally to the neck. 



Idiosepius, Steenstrup, 1881. 



Distr. — I. pygviams, Steenstrup (xxv, 26). Indian Ocean. 



No dorsal lamina or pen, but instead of it there is, under the 

 mantle, a singular ring-like tendinous support ; cartilage-button 

 oval, "with corresponding fosset. 



Stoloteuthis, Yerrill, 1882. 



Distr. — *S'. leucoptera, Verrill. Off Martha's Vineyard, Mass. 



Body short and thick, well rounded ; head large, united to 

 mantle by a broad dorsal commissure; eyes large, pupils round; 

 eyelids free all around ; no pen ; mantle thick, extending farther 

 forward beneath than laterally; fins large, lateral ; siphon with 

 an internal valve in b»th sexes ; connective cartilages long, with 

 a central groove, fitting a linear ridge on each side of the mantle ; 

 arms webbed for more than half their length, except between 

 the ventral arms ; second pair in the male, and some females, 

 with two or three much enlarged suckers near the middle. 



Inioteuthis, Verrill, 1882. 



Distr. — 2 sp. Japan. 



Body, lateral fins, and dorsal commissure of mantle as in 

 Sepiola ; lateral connective cartilages of the siphon oblong- 

 elliptical, with the groove open behind, fitting a linear ridge on 

 each side of the mantle ; ej^elids free below, adherent above ; 

 pen absent ; arms webbed only slightly at base ; suckers both 

 on sessile arms and tentacles, as in Rossia ; left dorsal arm 

 hectocotylized. 



Family CRANCHIID^. 



Cranchia, Leach, 1817. 



In honor of J. Granch, naturalist to the Congo expedition. 



Distr. — 3 sp. Congo, Africa; West Indies. C. scaftra. Leach 

 (xxv, 28). 



Characters generally those of the family. Body short, rounded ; 

 fins very small, rounded, terminal ; buccal membrane produced 

 into eight lobes; arms short, with two rows of suckers; ten- 

 tacular clubs finned behind, with suckers in eight rows. Siphon 

 valved. 



In G. megalops, the body is joined to the head by a pseudo- 

 articulation ; for which Prosch proposes the subgeneric name 

 Owenia, 184T. 



