REPORT ON THE CEPHALOPODA. 149 



Sepiella, Gray, Steenstrup. 



This generic name was first informally proposed by Gray i in 1849, but no adequate 

 account was given of its characters, until in 1880 Steenstrup ^ published a paper which 

 was then a complete Monograph of the genus, and to which nothing of importance has 

 been added since. 



Three conspicuous characters occur in both sexes of all members of this group, 

 which can hardly be expressed better than in Steenstrup's Latin diagnosis, here quoted. 



" Sepiella .... prsebet ; — 

 "1. Sepium minus validum, inerme, neque rostro seu mucrone (ut in plurimis 



Sepiis) neque carina (ut in Sep. elegante, d'Orb.) dorsali ornatum. 

 "2. Fib u lam palliarem complicatam, conulo nempe elevato, in profundam 



cavitatem siphunculo recipiendo instructam. 

 "3. Sac cum subcutaneum, inter sepium et cutem dorsualem pallii situm, 



valde plicatum, plicis pluries divisis et inter se connexis, apertura sat 



conspicua in pagina inferiori abdominis inter radices pinnarum pr^ditum." 



Steenstrup enumerated two species in this genus, one being the Sepia ornata, Eang, 

 the other Sepia inermis, v. Hass., of which he showed Sepia microcheirus, Gray, to 

 be the female ; having recently had the opportunity of examining Gray's types in the 

 British Museum I can fully comfirm all his statements on this head. Last year, 

 however, Dr. Pfeflfer described four species and Dr. de Eochebrune another (see p. 25), 

 whilst it seems to me likely that two forms of his Diphtherosepion should be referred 

 to this genus. 



One very fine specimen was obtained by the Challenger Expedition from the Inland 

 Sea, Japan, which I have not succeeded in certainly identifying with any of the species 

 hitherto described. It does not present any important variation from the definition 

 given of Sepiella maindroni, Eochebr., but so many important details are wanting in 

 the description of this type that certainty is impossible, but I have judged it best to apply 

 his name to the Challenger specimen, rather than create a new species unnecessarily. 



Sepiella maindroni (f), de Eochebrune (PL XXII. figs. 1-10). 



1884. Sepiella maindroni, Rochebr., Monogr. Sepiadse, p. 89. 

 Habitat. — Inland Sea, Japan. One specimen, $ . 

 Pondichery (de Eochebrune). 



I cannot find any difi"erence between the specimen in the Challenger collection and 

 Dr. de Eochebrune's description, but in this latter so many points of specific import- 



1 Gray, Brit. Mus. Cat., p. 106. 2 Vid. Meddel. nat. Foren. Kji^lenham, pp. 347-356, 1880. 



