REPORT ON THE CEPHALOPODA. 189 



northern edge of the Gulf Stream, which he erroneously regarded as identical with Taonius 

 hyperhoreus, Steenstrup. Another species, Desmoteuthis tenera, Verrill, which is almost 

 certainly identical with the real Taonius hyperhoreus,^ has since been added to the genus. 



The most striking character in the generic diagnosis of Desmoteuthis is " Anterior 

 edge of the mantle united directly to the head, on the dorsal side, by a commissure, so 

 that there is no free edge medially ; . . . two additional muscular commissures unite the 

 lateral inner surfaces of the mantle to the sides of the siphon." This may be compared 

 with the first sentence translated above from Steenstrup, and with d'Orbigny's description 

 of his genus LoUgopsis,^ in which occur the following words : " Appareil de resistance 

 consistant en trois larges brides, ou attaches fixes, places au bord meme du corps, qui le 

 lient intimement h. la tete, I'une cervicale ou dorsale a I'extremite de la saillie medianede 

 la coquille. Les deux autres laterales inferieures au lieu ou est ordinairement I'appareil 

 inferieur mobile." It seems almost impossible to resist the conclusion that he means 

 hereby to describe a precisely similar structure; furthermore, in the drawino- of his 

 Loligopsis pavo,^ the dorsal margin of the mantle is shown, extending on to the head 

 behind the eye. The remainder of the definition of Desmoteuthis sounds almost like a 

 translation of that of Loligopsis, and nowhere are they in contradiction, as any one may 

 see who reads them side by side. 



These quotations would probably sufiice to show that Desmoteuthis must be regarded 

 as a synonym of Taonius, but in addition I have recently had the opportunity of exam- 

 ining the following specimens belonging to this genus :— The type specimens of Taonius 

 pavo and of Taonius cymoctyp>us in the Paris Museum, that of Taonius hyperhoreus in 

 the Copenhagen Museum, a somewhat mutilated specimen of the same species in the 

 Challenger collection, and two from the "Porcupine" Expedition; a specimen of an 

 unpublished species which Professor Steenstrup proposes to call Taonius elongatus* 

 (PL XXVIII. fig. 13); and two specimens of Taonius suhmi, from the Challenger 

 collection ; and on the basis of this material the above description of the genus has been 

 drawn up, which will, I think, leave no doubt as to its identity with Desmoteuthis. Not 

 only is this the case, however, but it seems also most likely that the specimen which 

 Verrill obtained from the northern edge of the Gulf Stream, and which he believed to 

 be identical with Taonius hyperhoreus, was none other than Taonius pavo. 



That it differs from the former of these may be seen by a most cursory examination of 

 the type specimen, or of PI. XXXIII. fig. 1, and may be also seen by a careful comparison 

 of Verrill's figures with Steenstrup's description.^ Tao7iius hyperhoreus is there defined 



1 Op. cit, p. 412. 2 Ceph. acet, p. 320 ; Moll, viv., p. 368. 



3 C^ph. acet. pi. iv. fig. 1 ; Moll, viv., pi. xxiii. fig. 6. 



* Taonius dmgatus, Stp., MS., is characterised by its elongated form, by the hody being broadest anteriorly and 

 tapering backwards at first rather suddenly, then more gradually. The fin is cordate and pointed behind like that of 

 Taonius suhmi but much larger, and the eyes are comparatively small. 



'" Overblik, p. 84. 



