Mastigoteuthis atlantica
Michael Vecchione and Richard E. YoungIntroduction
M. atlantica was described from a single large specimen.
Diagnosis
A Mastigoteuthis ...
- with large eyelid photophores but no other photophores.
- with well-developed trabeculate protective membrane on tentacular club.
Characteristics
- Arms
- Arm suckers about 1.5 mm in longest diameter (Joubin, 1933).
- Tentacles
- Club 31% of tentacle length (Joubin, 1933).
- Club with wide, trabeculate membrane.
- Club suckers 0.364 mm in diameter with 2-3 lateral, inward directed pegs (Joubin, 1933).
- Funnel locking-apparatus
- Tragus present, antitragus slight and flat, not undercut.
- Mantle
- Tubercules absent from mantle and other areas.
- Fins
- Fins slightly longer than broad.
- Photophores
- Eyelid photophore oval; 4 mm long in holotype (Joubin, 1933).
- Integumental photophores absent.
- Pigmentation
- Squid dark carmine in color becoming almost black at points (Joubin, 1933); most pigment in chromatophores.
- Tentacles covered with dark red-brown pigment not in chromatophores.
- Measurements Measurements according to (Joubin, 1933) are: Mantle length (="visceral sac") - 112 mm; Head width - 24 mm; Head length - 22 mm; Arm I, length - 37 mm; Arm II, length - 56 mm; Arm III, length - 50 mm; Arm IV, length - 95 mm; Tentacle length - 254 mm; Club length - 80 mm; Fin length - 80 mm; Fin width - 68 mm.
Comments
We examined two large specimens of M. atlantica in the NMNH but they were badly damaged and the sucker rings had deteriorated. M. atlantica is very similar to M. famelica from the central North Pacific in having large eyelid photophores, absence of all other photophores and fins that are slightly longer than wide. These two species clearly differ, however, in the size of the protective membrane on the tentacular clubs (well developed in M. atlantica and nearly absent in M. famelica). The small M. glaukopis from the Indian Ocean as described by Chun (1910) is very similar except for differences in the size and dentition of the club suckers. Since these latter features change with size, we can find no differences that separate M. glaukopis Chun, 1908 and it is probably synonymus with M. atlantica Joubin, 1933 or M. famelica Berry, 1909, but has priority over both. Until larger specimens of M. glaukopis are available from the Indian Ocean, we maintain all three species. We suspect, however, on the basis of the distinct protective membrane on the tentacular club in the illustrations of Chun (1910) that M. glaukopis and M. atlantica may be synonymous.
References
Joubin, L. 1933. Notes préliminaires sur les Céphalopodes des croisières du Dana (1921-1922). 4e Partie. Annales de l'Institut Océanographique, new series, 13: 1-49.
About This Page
National Marine Fisheries Service
Systematics Laboratory
National Museum of Natural History
Washington, D. C. 20560
USA
Richard E. Young
Dept of Oceanography
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
USA
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Michael Vecchione at
Page copyright © 2004 and Richard E. Young
- First online 16 July 2004
- Content changed 30 November 2003
Citing this page:
Vecchione, Michael and Young, Richard E. 2003. Mastigoteuthis atlantica http://tolweb.org/Mastigoteuthis_atlantica/19509/2003.11.30 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
. Version 30 November 2003 (under construction).