Octopus verrucosus, Gunther & Dallas & Carruthers & Francis, 1885

Gunther, Albert C. L. G., Dallas, William S., Carruthers, William & Francis, William, 1885, The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology, Reptiles and Batrachians from Brazil, LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO.; KENT AND CO.,; WHITT AKER AND CO.: BAILLIERE, PARIS: MACLACHLAN AND STEWART, EDINBURGH: HODGES, FOSTER, AND CO., DUBLIN: AND ASHER, BERLIN: TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, pp. 1-96 : 222-223

Octopus verrucosus , n. sp.

The Body is rounded, but so distorted by compression that no further details can be given. The mantle-opening extends fully halfway round the body, terminating a little below and behind the eye. The sphon is long, evenly conical, and pointed, and extends nearly halfway to the umbrella-margin.

The Head is short, not so broad as the body, and with eyes but slightly prominent.

The Anns are unequal in -length, the second pair being considerably the longest, and almost six times as long as the body; they are comparatively stout and taper gradually. The umbrella, extends about one fifth up the longest arms. The suckers are fairly close, deeply cupped and marked with radial grooves, between which are numerous very minute papillm. About four suckers on each lateral arm opposite the umbrella-margin are larger than the others; beyond these they gradually diminish. The hectocotylus is present in both specimens and is very minute (about 2 millim. long in the larger); it is acutely pointed, and the median groove has three transverse ridges.

The Surface of the back, dorsal surface of the head, and um ­ brella is covered with irregular closely set warts, which attain a maximum diameter of several millimetres in the nuchal region; the warts extend on to the ventral surface of the body, where they become much smaller, more even, and average less than 1 millim. in diameter. Above each eye there seems to have been a short cirrus, but these have been rather damaged.

The Colour is a dull purplish grey, very dark above, much lighter below.

Hab. Inaccessible Island, Tristan da Cunha. Two speci ­ mens, ♂.