470 =A. FE. Verrill— Marine Fauna of North America. 
Taken by Capt. Melvin Gilpatrick and crew, schooner 
“Polar Wave,” N. lat. 48° 54’; W. long. 58° 44’, on Banque- 
reau, about 30 miles E. of Sable L, in 250 fathoms. Pre- 
sented to the U.S. Fish Commission, Sept., 1879. 
Octopus piscatorum, sp. nov. 
Body of female is smooth, depressed, about as broad as long. 
Obtusely rounded posteriorly, not showing any lateral ridges, 
nor dorsal papilla. No cirrus above the eyes. Arms long, 
rather slender, tapering to long, slender, acute tips, the upper 
ones a little (‘1 of an inch) shorter than those of the second pair, 
which are the longest; the third pair are about one-half inch 
shorter than the second ; the ventral pair about one-fourth inch 
shorter than the third. In our specimen all the arms on the 
right side are somewhat shorter than those on the left, and the 
web between the Ist and 2d arms is narrower, due perhaps to 
recovery from an injury. The suckers are moderately large, 
alternating in two regular rows, except close to the mouth, 
where a few stand nearly in a single line; about fourteen to 
sixteen are situated on the part of the arms included within 
the interbrachial web. The whole number of suckers on one 
arm is upwards of seventy. The web between the arms, 
except ventrally, is of about equal width, and scarcely more 
than one-fourth the length of the arms, measuring from the 
beak. Between the ventral arms the web is about half as wide 
as between the lateral. | 
Color of alcoholic specimen, deep purplish brown, due to very 
numerous crowded, minute, specks; eye-lids whitish. The 
front border of mantle, beneath, with base of siphon and adja- 
cent parts, is white; end of siphon brown. Lower side of head 
and arms lighter than the dorsal side. Total length, from poste- 
rior end of body to tip of arms, of 1st pair, 6°20 inches; 2d 
pair, 6°30; 3d pair, 5°75; 4th pair, 5-25; to web between dor- 
sal arms, 3°25; between ventral arms, 2°50; to edge of mantle, 
beneath, 1:20; to center of eye, 1:55. Breadth of body, 1°20; 
of head across eyes, 1°20; breadth of arms, at base, 22; diam- 
eter of largest suckers, ‘10; length of arms, beyond web, 1st 
pair, 3°00; 2d pair, 3-25; 3d pair, 2°80; 4th pair, 2°75. 
Taken by Capt. John McInnis and crew of the schooner “ M. 
H. Perkins,” from the western part of Le Have Bank, off 
Nova Scotia, in 120 fathoms. Presented to the U. S. Fish 
Commission, Oct. 1879. : 
_. This species is easily distinguished from 0. Bairdii, by its 
_ more elongated body, its much longer and more tapered arms, 
with shorter web; by the absence of the large, rough, pointed 
papilla, or cirrus, above the eyes, and by its general smooth- 
ess. The white color of the underside of the neck, siphot 
tle-border also appears to be characteristic. 
