Discoteuthis sp. B
Richard E. Young and Michael VecchioneIntroduction
A single badly damaged immature male squid (NMNH no. 815487) taken in the Atlantic Ocean at 08°11'S, 14°12'W appears similar to D. laciniosa judging from the funnel locking apparatus. Most characteristics that would confirm the identification have been lost. However a portion of one tentacular club remains and the large suckers have an unusual dentition.
Diagnosis
A Discoteuthis ...
- with pointed teeth on large suckers of the manus.
Characteristics
- Tentacles
- Largest suckers of manus with numerous (ca. 40), pointed teeth around entire margin of inner ring.
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Figure. Oral view of the club manus of Discoteuthis sp. B showing the largest suckers of the club. Note that one large sucker is missing. Photograph by R. Young.
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Figure. Oral view of a portion of the sucker ring of a large manus sucker of Discoteuthis sp. B. Photograph by R. Young.
Comments
The strikingly different dentition of the manus suckers could indicate that either (1) this is a different species from those previously described, or (2) males of D. laciniosa have a different dentition than females, or (3) there is more intraspecific variation in sucker dentition of D. laciniosa than previously thought. We have made no attempt to describe more details of the badly damaged specimen. Our objective is simply to point out an inconsistency in our understanding of Discoteuthis.
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University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA
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Discoteuthis sp. B.
Authored by
Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione.
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- First online 07 December 2005
- Content changed 26 March 2019
Citing this page:
Young, Richard E. and Michael Vecchione. 2019. Discoteuthis sp. B. Version 26 March 2019 (temporary). http://tolweb.org/Discoteuthis_sp._B/57150/2019.03.26 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
