88 ON SEVERAL NEW SPECIES 



Scpiidea, with the characters which Mr. Cuvier ha* 

 assigned to the genus (Regne Animal, p. 305.) 

 For there is good reason to believe, that when the 

 species of the Mediterranean and the other seas, 

 shall be more critically examined, that many species 

 will be discovered, that will require new divisions to 

 be made in this family, as well as in the present 

 genus Loligo. 



It may also be proper to consider the Loligos as 

 forming a separate family. It is of little consequence 

 what characters we select for the distribution of these 

 animals into families and genera, if our arrangement 

 is the most convenient, and exhibits, as near as pos- 

 sible, a gradual transition from one to the other. 



The order in which Mr. Cuvier arranged them.is 

 very natural, he places the Polypus of Aristotle, ifie 

 Eledona, the Loligo and the Sepia in succession ; 

 and the new genus which I shall propose in this 

 essay, may be readily intercalated in the series. 



If we observe the form of the body ; that of the 

 fins, and their position ; the form and the number of 

 the arms ; the disposition, the number, and the form 

 of the suckers, their corneous circles either entire or 

 divided, their detentations ; the arms which have 

 these suckers regularly or irregularly armed ; in fine, 

 those which have nails, either naked or covered by 

 a membrane, upon the longer arms ; and those which 

 have nails and suckers ; together with the form of 

 the bone ; we shall then have characters sufficient 

 for the formation of new divisions. 



