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Discoteuthis Young and Roper, 1969

Richard E. Young
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taxon links [up-->]Discoteuthis discus [up-->]Discoteuthis sp. A [up-->]Discoteuthis laciniosa [up-->]Discoteuthis sp. B [down<--]Cycloteuthidae Interpreting the tree
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Containing group: Cycloteuthidae

Introduction

Discoteuthis is easily recognized by the large fins, small tentacular clubs and the presence of only suckers on the arms. It is broadly distributed in tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans. These squid have never been observed alive and little is known about their biology or ecology. Discoteuthis sp A could be the mature male of D. discus.

Brief diagnosis:

A cycloteuthid ...

Characteristics

  1. Tentacles
    1. Medial suckers on manus of club greatly enlarged.

  2. Mantle
    1. Tail absent.

  3. Fins
    1. Fins large, oval; length equal to ML in subadults.

  4. Photophores
    1. Photophore arrangement varies with species. Photophores absent from eyes and viscera.

Comments

The following table compares the four possible species.

  Shape of groove of funnel locking-apparatus Mantle photophores Head photophores Brachial crown photophores Free anterior mantle margin with tissue flaps Dentition of large manus suckers
D. discus Diagonal At posteroventral mantle apex Four ? None No Numerous, small, flattened to rounded teeth
Discoteuthis sp. A Diagonal At posteroventral mantle apex Four Series on arms I No None. Teeth absent
Discoteuthis sp. B V-shaped ?? ?? ?? ?? Numerous small, pointed teeth
D. laciniosa V-shaped At anteroventral mantle margin None On web between arms III & IV Yes Numerous irregular, low scalloped teeth

References

Young, R. E. and C. F. E. Roper. 1969. A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic: The family Cycloteuthidae. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 5:1-24.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Discoteuthis discus
Location Off West Africa, 4°N, 3°W
Reference from Young, R. E. and C. F. E. Roper. 1969. A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic: The family Cycloteuthidae. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 5:1-24.
View Ventral
Size 53 mm ML
Type holotype
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
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About This Page


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

Page: Tree of Life Discoteuthis Young and Roper, 1969. Authored by Richard E. Young. 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.

Citing this page:

Young, Richard E. 1999. Discoteuthis Young and Roper, 1969. Version 01 January 1999 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Discoteuthis/19621/1999.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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