Mastigoteuthis tyroi
Mario Alejandro Salcedo-Vargas and Richard E. YoungIntroduction
This species is known from a single paralarva of 15 mm ML.Diagnosis
A mastigoteuthid ...
- with expanded clubs in paralarval stage.
- with tubercules in paralarval stage.
Characteristics
- Arms
- Sucker dentition not examined.
- Tentacles
- Tentacle stalk short, thicker than arms IV.
- Club flattened on oral surface and expanded.
- Club suckers in 47 rows with 4-9 series across club.
- Tip of club narrow and elongate, without suckers.
- Sucker dentition not examined.
image infoFigure. Aboral and oral views of tentacular clubs. Drawings from Salcedo-Vargas (1997).
- Funnel locking-apparatus
- Funnel locking- apparatus groove with simple structure lacking tragus or antitragus.
image infoFigure. Ventral view of funnel locking-apparatus. Drawing from Salcedo-Vargas (1997)
- Mantle
- Transparent, cartilaginous, spiny-like tricuspid tubercules present on mantle and most other skin.
- Fins
- Fin longer than wide.
- Tail extends 20% of fin length.
- Photophores
- Photophores absent.
- Pigmentation
- Aboral surface of tentacle club and stalk with transverse pigment bands.
- Large chromatophores on both sides of head and at base of armature.
- Small chromatophores around anterior edge of mantle.
- Measurements
Source Salcedo-Vargas, 1997 Sex ? Mantle length 15 Mantle width 3.5 Head length 3.5 Head width 2.5 Fin length 8 Fin width 12 Arm I, length 1.2 Arm II, length 1.8 Arm III, length 1.2 Arm IV, length 2.5 Tentacle length 6 Club length 3.5 Eye diameter / Lens diam. 1.3 / 0.8
Comments
This paralarva is unlike any other described (although few species have described paralarvae) and is especially distinctive in having expanded tentacular clubs. The only species of Mastigoteuthis that has slightly expanded tentacle clubs as a subadult is M. cordiformis but the paralarva of this species is unknown.
Distribution
Type locality: Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia at ca. 08.1°N, 56.1°E, 212 m depth. This species is known only from the type specimen.
References
Salcedo-Vargas, M. A. 1997. Cephalopods from the Netherlands Indian Ocean Programme (NIOP) - II. Mastigoteuthid lineage and related forms. Beaufortia, 47: 91-108.
About This Page
Richard E. Young
Dept of Oceanography
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
USA
Page copyright © 2004 and Richard E. Young
- First online 18 July 2004
- Content changed 30 November 2003
Citing this page:
Salcedo-Vargas, Mario Alejandro and Young, Richard E. 2003. Mastigoteuthis tyroi http://tolweb.org/Mastigoteuthis_tyroi/19526/2003.11.30 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
. Version 30 November 2003 (under construction).