Complete

Containing group: Lycoteuthis

Introduction

Females of this species are, presently, are nearly indistinguishable from those of L. springeri, except for their heavier musculature and the single large photophore in a pocket in the musculature at the apex of the fins slightly dorsoposteriorly to the convex surface of the conus of the gladius in both sexes of L. springeri but absent in both sexes of L. lorigera.

Characteristics

1. Head
   
   1. Beaks: Descriptions can be found here: Lower beak; upper beak.
      
      
2. Mantle
   
   1. Males lack elongate tail.
   
   
3. Photophores
   
   1. Posterior abdominal photophores fused into single, broad organ in males.
   2. No large photophore in a pocket in the musculature of the apex of the fins
      slightly dorsoposteriorly to the convex surface of the conus of the gladius in either sex.
      

Figure. Ventral view mantle of the mantel of L. lorigera showing arrangement of visceral photophores, male, holotype, 180 mm ML. Drawing from Voss (1962, p. 289).

Comments

Tentacular clubs and club and arm suckers have no known species-specific features.

Note the bright blue, mid-ventral ocular photophore on each eye in one of the title photographs. This blue photophore seems to be typical of members of the Lycoteuthinae. Also red integumental pigment covers (or partly covers due to damage) the other ocular photophores. This pigment would appear to be a color filter that would transmit blue light. Why two different means of producing blue light are needed is unknown

Distribution

The type locality is the "South Sea" in the Pacific Ocean.  Distribution range extends between 23°S and 46°S in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans (Villanueva and Sánchez, 1993).

A trawl that captured a single male off New Zealand also captured 104 females. The trawl was positioned 20-80 m off the bottom in 500 m of water (Försch and Uozumi, 1990).

References

Förch, E. C. and Y. Uozumi. 1990. Discovery of a specimen fo Lycoteuthis lorigera (Steenstrup, 1875) (Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea) from New Zealand and additional notes on its morphology. New Zealand Jour. Mar. Freshw. Res., 24: 251-258.

Toll, R. B. 1983. The lycoteuthid genus Oregoniateuthis Voss, 1956, a synonym of Lycoteuthis Pfeffer, 1900 (Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea). Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 96: 365-369.

Villanueva, R. and P. Sanchez. 1993. Cephalopods of the Benguela Current off Namibia: new additions and considerations on the genus Lycoteuthis. Journal of Natural History, 27:15-46.

Voss, G. L. 1962. A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic. I. The Family Lycoteuthidae. Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Carib. 12: 264-305.