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Luteuthis O'Shea 1999

Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione
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The genus contains a two poorly-known species.
Containing group: Opisthoteuthidae

Introduction

Luteuthis spp. are very fragile, gelatinous, presumably pelagic cirrate octopods whose affinities are uncertain (see Nomenclature) The two species in this genus are known from only three specimens.

Brief diagnosis:

An opisthoteuthid ...

Full diagnosis (from Collins and Villanueva, 2006):

"Grimpoteuthids with moderate-sized fins, short cirri (<2% ML) and a bilobed digestive gland. Shell W-shaped with lateral wings tapering to acute, offset points. Radula well developed. Male accessory glands in linear sequence. Web supporting nodules absent." *

* Refers a diagnosis of the genus within their family Grimpoteuthidae which also includes the genera Grimpoteuthis and Cryptoteuthis.

Characteristics

  1. Shell
    1. Shell W-shaped.
    2. Shell with basal shelf deflected beneath saddle.
    3. Shell with lateral wings keeled, in some species, inrolled margins.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Ventral and posterior views of shell of L. shuichi. Photograph from O'Shea and Lu, 2002.

  2. Arms and web
    1. Sucker enlargement in males undetermined.
    2. Sucker apperature crenulate with tooth-like structures.
    3. First cirri between suckers 4 and 6.
    4. Cirri short; maximum length comparable to half of largest sucker diameter.
    5. Web nodules absent.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Side and oral view of cut suckers showing tooth-like structures of L. dentatus. Drawing from O'Shea, 1999.

  3. Pigmentation
    1. No areolar spots.

  4. Gills
    1. Gills with half-orange appearance.

  5. Digestive system
    1. Intestine shorter than or approximately equal to esophagus (including crop) in length.
    2. Digestive gland bilobed.
    3. Radula present.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Side view of the digestive system of L. dentatus. Drawing from O'Shea, 1999.

  6. Reproductive system
    1. Male with linear arrangement of accessory glands.
    2. Penis well developed.

  7. Optic lobe
    1. Circular in cross-section
    2. Single optic bundle penetrates the white body.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Digestive system of L. dentatus. Drawing from O'Shea, 1999.

Comments

The two distinctive features of Luteuthis are the tooth-like structures on the suckers and the shape of the shell.

Nomenclature

The genus Luteuthis was established by O'Shea (1999) and placed in its own family, the Luteuthidae. O'Shea and Lu (2002) state that the family is distinguished by the following features:

The presence of a radula is now known be we widely distributed in Grimpoteuthis. The W-shaped shell is unusual but an intermediate condition is seen in Grimpoteuthis tuftsi).  The peculiar suckers appears to be a unique feature. The arrangement of accessory glands needs further evaluation. The arrangement of glands is unknown in many species and where known the clear arrangement of the parts and, indeed, their proper identification is often unclear.

O'Shea and Lu, 2002, placed this species to be in its own family, Luteuthidae. Collins and Villanueva (2006) placed it in the family Grimpoteuthidae.

References

O'Shea, S. 1999. The marine fauna of New Zealand: Octopoda (Mollusca: Cephalopoda). NIWA Biodiversity Memoir 112: 280pp.

O'Shea, S. and C. C. Lu. 2002. A New Species of Luteuthis (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Cirroctopoda) from the South China Sea. Zoological Studies, 41: 119-126.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Luteuthis shuishi
Reference O'Shea, S. and C. C. Lu. 2002. A New Species of Luteuthis (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Cirroctopoda) from the South China Sea. Zoological Studies, 41: 119-126.
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Type Holotype
Copyright © 2002 S. O'Shea and C.C. Lu
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University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA


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

Page: Tree of Life Luteuthis O'Shea 1999. 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.

Citing this page:

Young, Richard E. and Michael Vecchione. 2016. Luteuthis O'Shea 1999. Version 27 February 2016 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Luteuthis/20105/2016.02.27 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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