Distribution and re-description of Abraliopsis lineata Goodrich, 1896 (Cephalopoda: Enoploteuthidae) from the Arabian Sea

Abstract

The enoploteuthid cephalopod Abraliopsis lineata is re-described and its generic position discussed. Specimens for the present study were captured during the Indian Ocean Expedition of RV Meteor in 1987, where the species occurred in considerable numbers. The geographical distribution of A. lineata is described and discussed. The detailed analysis of the photophore pattern of the present specimens differs from the original description. The diagnostic features in the male, especially the structure of the hectocotylus which separates A. lineata easily from the members of the subgenus Pfefferiteuthis, are outlined. The morphological differences which separate A. lineata from A. gilchristi, the only other member of the subgenus Micrabralia, are summarized.

Keywords :

• Abraliopsis
• Arabian Sea
• Cephalopoda
• distribution
• Enoploteuthidae
• re-description