Note

Opisthoteuthis grimaldii: Description Continued

Roger Villanueva, Richard E. Young, and Michael Vecchione
  1. Arms
    1. The photograph below shows the arms of the mature male holotype. The proximal and distal fields of enlarged suckers are apparent.
    2. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Oral view of the dorsal arms of O. grimaldii, holotype. Photograph from Joubin, 1920.

  2. Eyes
    1. Large, 45% of ML.

  3. Funnel
    1. Funnel organ with two, separate, elongate pads.

  4. Fins
    1. Without lobe near anterior insertion in preserved animals.
    2. Fin span ca. 4 times fin length.

  5. Gills
    1. Small, half-orange appearance.
    2. 7 or 8 primary lamellae per gill.

  6. Optic lobes and nerves
    1. Optic lobes kidney-shaped.
    2. Two or three optic nerve bundles pass through/by white body.
    3. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Ventral view of the eye, optic nerve tracts, white body and optic lobe of O. grimaldii. Drawing from Villanueva et al. (2002).

  7. Digestive tract
    1. Radula absent.
    2. Glandular-like area on buccal mass [presumably the posterior salivary glands].
    3. Esophagus dialated forming crop-like structure.
    4. Digestive gland bilobed.
    5. Intestine apparently slightly shorter than esophagus; forms S-shape.
    6. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Lateral view of digestive tract of O. grimaldii. Drawing from Villanueva et al. (2002).

  8. Beaks
    1. Lower beak pointed; hood small; without folds or ridges on lateral walls.
    2. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Lateral views of lower beak (left) and upper beak (right) of O. grimaldii. Drawing from Villanueva et al. (2002).

  9. Male reproductive system
    1. Accessory glands "2 and 3" approximately equal in size.
    2. Penis relatively long.
    3. Spermatophores oval, 1-2 mm long.
    4. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Reproductive tract of O. grimaldii, mature male, 42 mm ML. Drawing from Villanueva et al. (2002).

  10. Female reproductive system
    1. Unknown as females cannot be identified with certainty.

  11. Shell
    1. Stout with short, flaring lateral wings.
    2. Outer surface of saddle flat, without inrolling ridges; inner surface convex.
    3. Lateral wings taper to acute points.
    4. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Dorsal (top) and lateral (bottom) views of the shell of O. grimaldii, mature male, 45 mm ML. Bar is 20 mm. Drawing from Villanueva et al. (2002).

  12. Pigmentation
    1. Octopod reddish-brown in preserved specimens.
    2. Areolae not observed in eastern Atlantic specimens.

  13. Measurements
    1. Measurements and counts can be found here.

Comments

Except for the first illustration, the above description is taken from Villanueva et al. (in press).

References

Joubin, L. 1920. Cephalopodes provenant des Campagnes de la Princesse Alice (1898-1910). 3e Serie. Monaco.

Villanueva, R., Collins, M., Sanchez, P. and N. Voss. 2002. Systematics, distribution and biology of the cirrate octopods of the genus Opisthoteuthis (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) in the Atlantic Ocean, with description of two new species. Bulletin of Marine Science 71(2):933-985.

About This Page
Drawings from Villanueva et al. (2002) printed with the Permission of the Bulletin of Marine Science.


Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA


National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA

All Rights Reserved.

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