72 



MOLI.USCA OF THE GuLF OF MEXICO 



142 



mouth of a fish trawled b^^ the Albatross between the Mis- 

 sissippi delta and Cedar Keys, at 324 fms. The Spirula had 

 just been seized alive hy the fish and the soft parts, pre- 

 vioush' imperfectly known, were complete. See Science, 

 1896. 



There are several forms of Spirula. S. spirula of 

 Linnseus was a composite, according to Dr. Dall, and since 

 the species cannot be differentiated by the shells alone no 

 one can tell exactl}^ v\^hich species Linngeus had although he 

 gave America as the habitat. Huxley and Pelseneer (Chal- 

 lenger Rept.) fixed the name aiistralis Lamarck on the An- 

 tillean species. 



Note. — Argonauta and Spirula are the only shell-bearing 

 Cephalopods reported from the Gulf of Mexico. Of other 

 forms, the Brazilian, Loligo brevis Blainville is cited from 

 Cameron and elsewhere on the Louisiana coast, and A. 

 hemiplera Howell from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. 



