Taonius pavo (Lesueur, 1821)

Introduction

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Figure. Dorsal view of T. pavo, mature male, 539 m ML. Drawing from Voss (1980, Fig. 8a, p. 391).

Brief diagnosis:

A Taonius with ...

• Largest club sucker with two primary hook-like tooth and no secondary hook-like teeth. 
• Large club suckers of marginal series of manus not laterally compressed.

Characteristics

1. Arms
   1. Arms suckers in an adult with 3-4 low teeth distally (Joubin, 1900).
      
      
2. Tentacles
   1. Enlarged suckers of the medial two series on the club manus with two enlarged, hook-like teeth; teeth may be equal or unequal in size. Secondary teeth absent.
   2. Suckers of marginal series of manus circular (ie, not laterally compressed) with long, pointed teeth on distal and lateral margin of sucker ring.
   3. Tentacular stalk with two series of locking suckers on distal 2/3 to 3/4 of stalk. Distinct carpal cluster at base of manus with 6-7 smooth ringed and matching knobs; knobs not always obvious.
      
   

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   Figure. Oral view of the tentacular club of T. pavo, 240 mm ML, central North Atlantic, preserved. A few, proxmal, medial sucker-rings missing. Photograph by R. Young.

   

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   Figure. Oral view of the tentacular club of T.pavo, immature male, 198 mm ML. Drawing from Voss 1980 (Fig. 8e, p. 391).

Life History

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Figure. T. pavo growth stages. Top - Paralarva. Bottom - Juvenile. Drawings from Voss (1980, Fig. 8c, b, p. 391).

Distribution

Type locality: ‘Sandy Bay’, Atlantic Ocean.

T. pavo is relatively common in the North Atlantic. Vecchione, et. al. (2010) found it throughout their sampling range in the Central North Atlantic from 41.2° to 59.98°N but found them most common at the southern end of the range. Voss, et. al. (1992) suggested it's distribution may extend south to the Southern Subtropical Convergence and possibly into the Western Indian Ocean in the area of the Angulhas Current.

References

Joubin, L. 1900. Céphalopodes provenant des Campagnes de la Princesse-Alice (1991-1897). Résult. Camp. Scient. Monaco, 17: 1-35.

Vecchione, M., R.E. Young, and U. Piatkowski. 2010. Cephalopods of the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Mar. Biol. Res. 6:25-52.

Voss, N. A. 1980. A generic revision of the Cranchiidae (Cephalopoda; Oegopsida). Bull. Mar. Sci. 30: 365-412.

Voss N. A., S. J. Stephen and Zh. Dong 1992. Family Cranchiidae Prosch, 1849. Smithson. Contr. Zool., 513: 187-210.