Stigmatoteuthis dofleini: Description continued

1. Arms
1. Arms I and IV 180% and arms II and III about 210% of ML.
2. Outer web 20-25% of ML.; Inner web apparently absent.
3. Large females with three series of suckers at tips of arms I.
4. Large arm suckers with 7-10 triangular teeth on distal half on inner ring.


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Figure. Oral view of arm-sucker ring from S. dofleini, arm III row 6, 14 mm ML, off Southern California. Drawing from Young (1972).

2. Tentacles
1. Manus with irregularly arranged suckers in approximately 5 series; Median suckers very large, marginal suckers very small.
2. Club length 40% of ML.
3. largest suckers in middle of manus with about 60 pointed teeth around entire margin.


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Figure. Oral view of tentacluar club and club sucker, S. dofleini, 150 mm ML, off Southern California. Top - Club. Bottom - Large club sucker. Drawings from Young (1972).

3. Funnel
1. Dorsal pad of funnel organ with inverted V-shaped ridge.
4. Mantle and Skin
1. Short, broad welts lie beneath the thin outer skin on mantle, head and arms in large squid.
2. Tubercles absent
>
5. Fins
1. Length 1/3 of ML, width 1/2 of ML.
6. Photophores
1. Compound photophores large and loosely arranged on anterior 2/3 of ventral mantle.
2. Arms IV with 3 longitudinal series on arm base.


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Figure. S. dofleini, 150 mm ML, off Southern California. Top - Ventral view of mantle. Bottom - Ventral view of arm IV. Drawings extracted from Fig. 9B of Young (1972).

7. Reproduction
1. Spermatophores
1. Length 4.3-6.4% of ML; sperm mass 46-59% of the spermatophore length (SpL), cement body 18-28% of the SpL, ejaculatory apparatus 21-31% of the SpL. Ejaculatory apparatus with a single loop. Ejaculatory apparatus/cement-body connective complex absent. The upper drawing is an enlargement of the oral end of the lower drawing.
   

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   Figure. Spermatophore of S. dofleini, 149 mm GL, 32°N, 124°W. Drawing Voss et al. (1998).

2. Hectocotylus
1. Terminal half of each arm I modified in mature males. Pedestals of biserial small suckers elongated to form palisade along each arm margin, with deep, wide intervening channel. Protective membranes low, fused to enlarged sucker pedestals. Proximal half of modified portion with increased thickness of arm and moderate development of aboral keel.

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Figure. Oral-lateral view of hectocotylus of S. dofleini, 149 mm GL, 32°N, 124°W. Drawing from Voss et al. (1998).

Comments

The above information is from Young (1972) and Voss, et al. (1998).

References

Young, R. E. 1972. The systematics and areal distribution of pelagic cephalopods from the seas off Southern California. Smithson. Contr. Zool., 97: 1-159.

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.