REPORT ON THE CEPHALOPODA. 



161 



large pointed teeth in its distal portion, but is smootli proximally. The only specimen 

 being a female the hectocotylus is not developed. The buccal membrane has the usual 

 seven points, each of which carries two or three small suckers. Tlie outer lip is thick 

 and marked with radial grooves ; the inner was not seen. 



The Tentacle is slender, approximately cylindrical, and about two-thirds the length 

 of the body; its terminal fourth is occupied by the club (PL XXV. fig. 11), which is but 

 little expanded, and has a delicate protective membrane along either side of the inner 

 surface and a well-marked web externally. The large median siicTcers (figs. 12, 13) are 

 about ten in number, and about twice as large as the alternating lateral ; the proximal 

 are about twenty, and gradually increasing ; the distal occupy nearly one half the club, 

 and are in four series, diminishing. The horny rings of the largest suckers (fig. 14) 

 have about twenty-four distant square pointed teeth, much longer on the distal margin ; 

 and are surrounded by a papillary area, consisting of two rows of plates succeeded by 

 radial markings (PL XXIV. fig. 3) ; the lateral ones have about half as many similar 

 teeth on the outer margin (fig. 6), and the terminal suckers are armed in the same way. 



The Surface has been almost entirely denuded of skin. 



The Colour appears to have been pale buff" with purple chromatophores. 



The Gladius (PL XXV. fig. 15) has the anterior narrow portion very long in com- 

 parison with the broader portion, but this is probably correlated with the small size and 

 presumable immaturity of the specimen, for the posterior portion of the body grows 

 more rapidly than the anterior (see p. 156). 



Dimensions. 



End of body to mantle-margin, 

 End of body to eye, 

 Breadth of body, . 

 Breadth of head, . 

 Eye to edge of umbrella, 

 Length of fin, 

 Breadth of fin, 

 Breadth of each lobe, 



Length of first arm, 

 Length of second arm, 

 Length of thhd arm, 

 Length of fourth arm, 

 Length of tentacle, 



43 mm. 



45 



, 



11 



, 



9 



, 



5 



, 



13 



, 



18 



, 



5 



, 



Right. 



Left. 



14 mm. 



15 mm 



17 „ 



17 „ 



18 „ 



20 „ 



16 „ 



16 „ 





30 „ 



This species approaches Loligo brasiliensis, Blainville, in some respects ; both have a 

 rounded fin, although the shape is much more nearly elliptical in the present form, and 

 both have blunt squarish teeth in the suckers of the arms and sharper ones in those of 

 the tentacles ; Loligo ellipsura has, however, only about five complete teeth in the arm- 

 suckers and nineteen in the tentacular, whilst in Loligo brasiliensis the numbers are eight 



(ZOOL. CHALL. EXP. PART SLIV. — 1886.) 



Xx21 



