Note

Histioteuthis macrohista: Description continued

Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione
  1. Photophores
    1. Compound photophores of uniform large size on anterior half of ventral mantle (a few minute photophores may be interspersed).
    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. Ventral view of mantle of H. macrohista, holotype. Drawing extracted from Fig. 36a of Voss (1969).

    3. Compound photophores number usually 16 (rarely 15) on right eyelid.
    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. Lateral view of right eyelid of H. macrohista, holotype. Drawing modified from Voss, 1969 (Fig. 36d).

    5. Arms IV with 3 longitudinal series on arm base.
    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. Ventral view of arm IV of H. macrohista, holotype.  Drawing extracted from Fig. 36a of Voss (1969).

    7. Tips of arm I-III each with single, large, elongate, dark, simple, aboral photophore. Upper right drawing shows a side view and the lower drawing, an oral view.
    8. 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. Arm tips of H. macrohista. Left - Side view, paratype, 40 mm ML, male, Cook Strail, New Zealand. Drawing from Voss, 1969 (Fig. 37d). Right - Aboral view, holotype. Drawing from Voss, et al. (1998).

    9. Each posteroventral margin of head with two conspicuous, large, round dark photophores widely spaced.
    10. 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 enlarged head photophores of H. macrohista, 19 mm, juvenile, 45° 34'S, 147° 18'E. drawing from Voss, et al., 1998.

  2. Tentacles
    1. Suckers on manus in 6 irregular series; median suckers moderately enlarged (1.5-2 times ventral-marginal suckers). Rings of enlarged suckers with numerous sharp teeth around entire margin.
      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 club of H. macrohista, holotype. Drawing from Voss, 1969 (Fig. 36b).

  3. Arms
    1. Length 80-130% of ML.

  4. Arm suckers
    1. Inner rings with 4-10 low, rounded or square teeth on distal and lateral margins.
      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 sucker of H. macrohista, holotype, middle of right arm III. Drawing from Voss, 1969 (Fig. 36c).

  5. Web and buccal crown
    1. Inner web large; length more than 50% of longest arm length; outer web slightly developed.
    2. Buccal crown with 7 supports.
      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 buccal crown of H. macrohista, paratype, 14 mm ML, male, 30° 15'S, 13° 15'E. Drawing from Voss, 1969 (Fig. 37f).

  6. Funnel organ
    1. Heavy, swollen ridge on each lateral arm of dorsal pad.
      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 funnel organ of H. macrohista, paratype, female, 55 mm ML, west of Slangkop, South Africa. Drawing from Voss, 1969 (Fig. 37e).

  7. Fins
    1. Length 52-56% of ML; width 80-89% of ML.

  8. Spermatophores
    1. Length 7-8% of ML; sperm mass 7-8% of spermatophore length (SpL); cement body 64-74% of SpL; ejaculatory apparatus 26-27% of SpL. Ejacualtory apparatus with single loop. Connective complex present.

  9. Hectocotylus
    1. Both arms I in mature males modified in distal third. Suckers abruptly reduced in size, and on elongated palisaded pedestals.

Comments

The above description is from Voss (1969) and Voss, et al. (1998).

References

Voss, N.A. 1969. A Monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic. The Family Histioteuthidae. Bulletin of Marine Science, 19(4):713-867.

Voss, N.A., K. N. Nesis, P. G. Rodhouse. 1998. The cephalopod family Histioteuthidae (Oegopsida): Systematics, biology, and biogeography. In: Systematics and Biogeography of Cephalopods. (Voss, N.A., Vecchione, M., Toll, R.B. & Sweeney, M.J., eds.). Smiths. Contr. Zool., 586(2): 293-372.

About This Page
Drawings from Voss (1969) reproduced with the Permission of the Bulletin of Marine Science.


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA


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

Page: Tree of Life Histioteuthis macrohista: Description continued Authored by Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione. 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.

close box

This page is a note that is attached to a leaf of the Tree of Life.

ToL notes provide brief accounts of characteristics, short summaries, commentaries, media files, taxonomic information, or identification tools for a given group of organisms.

For a more detailed explanation of the different ToL page types, have a look at the Structure of the Tree of Life page.

close box

Histioteuthis macrohista

Page Content

articles & notes

collections

people

Explore Other Groups

random page

  go to the Tree of Life home page
top