Zoology.'] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Mollusca. 



Plates 76 and 77. 



SEPIOTEUTHIS AUSTEALIS (Quoy and Gaim.). 



The Australian Tooth-cupped Cuttlefish. 



[Genus SEPIOTEUTHIS (Fer.). (Sub-kingd. Mollusca. Class Cephalopoda. Sub- 

 class Antipedia. Order Sepbinia. Fara. Loligidge.) 



Gen. Char. — Body oblong, sub-cylindrical, moderately depressed ; fins extending nearly the 

 length of the body on sides of back ; suspending cartilaginous buttons on ventral surface linear, 

 cervical ridge linear ; head large ; buccal membrane with seven salient angles ; six buccal 

 aquiferous openings ; external ear with a prominent transverse crest ; sessile arms conical, 

 tapering, unequal, usually with narrow marginal fins ; suckers in two rows. Tentacular arms 

 long, cylindrical, with a club-shaped distal end having four rows of suckers with a narrow 

 membranous fin on each side, and one on the compressed back ; siphuncle supported by two 

 dorsal triangular membranes at base. Shell, internal, horny, as long as the back, lanceolate, 

 narrow in front, with a central keel.] 



Description. — Body sub-cylindrical, tapering, with very broad, thick, fleshy, 

 ovato-rhombic fins extending- nearly the entire length of the mantle from beyond the 

 posterior apex to within a short distance of the anterior edge, equalling the width of 

 the body in the middle ; anterior edge of mantle separated from the head all round, 

 projecting in two rounded acute angles on the ventral aspect, corresponding with 

 the internal, cartilaginous ridges, and projecting in one central, rounded point on the 

 nape ; funnel large, with a distinct valve and two strong, cartilaginous channels at 

 ventral aspect of lateral base, with two triangular, suspensory membranes on dorsal 

 side at base; sessile arms having the dorsal pair shortest, the next longer, the next 

 longest, and the ventral pair equalling the second dorsal ones in length, each having 

 two rows of pedunculated cups with horny, toothed margins; each arm connected by 

 a very slight web at base about two lines wide ; the first or smallest dorsal arms 

 rounded on the back without webs; second pair rounded on the back, with a web two 

 lines wide on each side not reaching to the base ; the third pair are largest, com- 

 pressed, keeled, with narrow web bordering the suckers; fourth or anterior pair 

 rounded, with thick lateral webs, broader on outer side. Colour: Whole back, body 

 and fins, vinous brownish-red with darker dots and small spots, the under-side of the 

 body similarly coloured on the sides, but with paler smaller spots on the middle ; under- 

 side of lateral fins milk-white; head and outer-side of arms spotted like the back, but 

 lighter and browner than the back, not so vinous or reddish in tint; inner-side of the 

 arms, cups, and buccal membrane, and parts about the mouth milk-white; the eyes have 

 a silvery- white iris about four lines wide, surrounded by a band, one line wide, of rich 

 bronze yellowish-brown, beyond which is five or six lines wide of rich brown dotting, 

 darker than head. Length of body, exclusive of head, 1 foot 3 inches; width across 

 middle of body and lateral fins 1 1 inches ; length of tentacular arms 1 foot 4 inches 

 from base to tip; the cupped distal expansion is 5 inches long and 7 lines wide, stem 

 4 lines wide; length of dorsal pair of arms 4 inches, next pair 5 inches, next pair 

 6 inches 3 lines, fourth or anterior pair 5 inches ; eye 2 inches in diameter; diameter 

 of cups on tentacular arms 3 lines. Internal shell (or pen) of the colour and consistence 

 of a goose-quill, extending the whole length of mantle, total length 1 foot 1| inches; 

 the anterior 5th forming a narrow parallel-sided stem 3 inches long and 7 lines wide, 

 with an obtusely-angular anterior end ; posterior fths oval, gradually widening to 



[27] 



