Promachoteuthis sp. A
Richard E. Young and Michael VecchioneIntroduction
Promachoteuthis sp. A is known from two specimens: the smaller holotype, an immature female 58 mm ML and a paratype, an immature female, 102 mm ML. The paratype was captured by the R/V WALTER HERWIG in 1973 while the holotype was captured by the R/V G.O. SARS in 2004 and was in near-perfect condition. Both were taken from the North Atlantic in nets that fished to depths greater than 2,000 m. Virtually nothing is known of their biology.
Diagnosis
A Promachoteuthis ...
- without nuchal fusion between head and mantle.
- with mostly 3-4 series of suckers on arms.
- with papillae on tentacles.
Characteristics
- Arms
- Arms with three or four rather irregular suckers series in mid-region sometimes appearing as up to six series.
- Tentacles
- Tentacles thick at base (slightly thicker than adjacent arms); club not flattened; club) about 60% of tentacle length.
- Each tentacle with two series of long papillae near oral midline at tentacle base but diverging to be lateral to club; papillae often with stubby branches in holotype but become flattened, highly branching or merge into a complex membrane in the paratype.
- Darkly pigmented ridges present along the lateral margins of the aboral surface of each tentacle; distally the ridge breaks into small papillae. Pigmented ridges in paratype less prominent and restricted to middle third of tentacle.
- Head
- Head extremely small with very small eyes buldging laterally from reduced head.
- Eyelid forming a small, circular opening.
- Eyelid over lens opaque but with, apparently, a somewhat clearer central region.
- Mantle
- Anterior mantle-margin free from the head. A nuchal cartilage is present.
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Fins
- Fins large; large anterior lobes present; posterior lobes absent in holotype but small, distinct posterior lobes present in paratype.
Figure. Oral view of the midregion of a lateral arm of Promachoteuthis sp. A, holotype, preserved.
Comments
More information on the description can be found here.
Promachoteuthis sp. A is very distinctive and easily separated from other members of the genus by the peculiar tentacles among many other features.
Distribution
Type locality - Central North Atlantic at 53°05’N, 36°46’W (R/V G.O.SARS MARECO cruise super station 14, local station 341)in an trawl that fished to a maximum depth of 2792 m in 2004. Paratype came from the Eastern North Atlantic at 46°00'N, 15°49'W (R/V WALTER HERWIG station 714) in a trawl that fished to 2650 m.
References
Toll, R. B. 1998. The gladius is teuthoid systematics. Smithson. Contr. Zool., No. 586: 55-68.
About This Page
Richard E. Young
Dept of Oceanography
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
USA
National Marine Fisheries Service
Systematics Laboratory
National Museum of Natural History
Washington, D. C. 20560
USA
Page copyright © 2003 Richard E. Young and
Citing this page:
Young, Richard E. and Vecchione, Michael. 2003. Promachoteuthis sp. A. Version 01 January 2003 (complete). http://tolweb.org/Promachoteuthis_sp._A/19529/2003.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/