Note

Promachoteuthis sulcus: Description Continued

Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Clyde F. E. Roper
  1. Arms
    1. Arms subequal in length, tips not attenuate.
    2. Arms without keels.
    3. Buccal connectives attach to the ventral margins of arms IV.
    4. Suckers with "smooth" inner rings.
    5. Suckers in 3 series over most of arm length.
    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. Oral view of an arm of P. sulcus, holotype. Left - Arrangement of suckers. Right - Arm base showing low protective membrane. Photographs by R. Young.

    7. Arms with low protective membranes without obvious trabeculae.
    8. Arm suckers with inner rings that appear smooth.
    9. 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 arm suckers of P. sulcus, holotype, that appear smooth under the dissecting microscope. Photograph by R. Young.

    Scanning electron microscope photographs of the suckers can be found here.

  2. Tentacles
  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. Overview of the tentacles of P. sulcus. Top - Aboral view. Bottom - Oral view. Note the pigmented base and the restriction of the club to about half the tentacle circumference. Photographs by R. Young.

    1. Aboral  side of stalk with deep groove (sulcus) running along its proximal third (see lower portion of photograph on near left and arrow in lower right photograph).
    2. Base of tentacle much thicker than adjacent arms.
    3. Club without keel, carpal locking-apparatus or  terminal pad.
    4. Club suckers on distal 2/3 to 3/4 of tentacle.
    5. Club suckers with inner rings that appear smooth.
    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. Club suckers of P. sulcus, holotype. Left - Oral view of the mid-region of the club showing arrangement of suckers. Right - Higher magnification of the "smooth" suckers. Photographs by R. Younng.

      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. Side view of ventral portion of head and tentacle bases of P. sulcus, holotype. Arrow points to the deep aboral groove in the tentacle base. Photograph by R. Young.

  4. Head
    1. Eye small
    2. Eye opening contracted into raised circular ridge.
    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. Ventrolateral view of the head of P. sulcus showing the small eye opening. Note the papilla-like olfactory organ to the right of the eye. Photograph by R. Young.

    4. Large oval dorsal funnel organ.
    5. Funnel locking-apparatus with deep, oval depression.
    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. Frontal view of the funnel locking-apparatus of P. sulcus, holotype. Photograph by R. Young.

  5. Viscera
    1. Anus lacks anal flaps.
    2. Funnel organ with large, oval dorsal pad (within the funnel in the photograph and anterior to the anus).
    3. Ink sac apparently absent. An ink sac could not be seen but the squid was not dissected further to look for it.
    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. Ventrolateral view of anterior portion of mantle cavity of P. sulcus. Note the visceral pigmentation.

  6. Photophores
    1. Photophores absent.

  7. Pigmentation
    1. Tentacle stalks (ca. 25-35% of club length) heavily pigmented with purple-brown color (see photographs above).
    2. Covering of viscera (see photograph above), buccal membrane and oral surfaces of arms (see photograph on previous page) with dark purple-brown pigment.

  8. Measurements
    1. Mantle length - 25 mm  (label in jar indicates 40 mm ML)
    2. Fin length - 9 mm  
    3. Fin width - 18 mm  
    4. Head length - 8 mm
    5. Head width - 9 mm
    6. Eye diameter - 2.5 mm  
    7. Arm I (left) - 8 mm, 53 suckers 
    8. Arm I (right) -9 mm, 45+  
    9. Arm II  (left) -9 mm, 50 suckers
    10. Arm II (right) - 8 mm, 46+ 
    11. Arm III (left) - 8 mm, 48 suckers
    12. Arm III (right) - 8 mm, 44 suckers 
    13. Arm IV (left) - 9 mm, 53 suckers 
    14. Arm IV (right) - 9 mm, 50 suckers 
    15. Tentacle length (left) - 35 mm 
    16. Tentacle length (right) - 37 mm
    17. Tentacle width near base - 3.8 mm
    18. Arms III and IV width  near base - 1.9 mm

    All measurements are of the holotype. The difference between the ML on the label and the present measurement indicates that considerable shrinkage has occurred in preservation.

Comments

The gladius and beaks were not removed from the squid for examination.

References

Young, R. E., M. Vecchione and C. F. E. Roper. 2007. A new genus and three new species of decapodiform cephalopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda). Rev. Fish. Biol. Fisheries, 17: 353-365.

About This Page


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA


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


Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C., USA

Page: Tree of Life Promachoteuthis sulcus: Description Continued Authored by Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Clyde F. E. Roper. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

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