Octopus vitiensis, 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 : 226

Octopus vitiensis , n. sp.

The Body is nearly oblong, but becomes somewhat narrower posteriorly. The mantle-opening extends nearly one third round the body, and terminates some distance below and behind the eye. The siphon is long and acutely pointed, and extends about halfway to the umbrella-margin.

The Head is broader than the body, with large laterally prominent eyes.

The Arms are subequal, the two lateral pairs being a little longer than the others; on an average they are nearly three times as long as the body, and taper rather rapidly about the middle of their length and then evenly to fine points. The umbrella extends nearly one third up the arms, least along the dorsal pair, The suckers are sunken, comparatively large, with a dark margin and very well-marked radial grooves. The first two on each arm are m a single row, owing to the compression of the arms laterally; there are no enlarged suckers on the lateral arms. The hectocotylus is not developed.

The Surface of the dorsum of the body bears a few minute warts scattered here and there; over each eye there is a rather large branched cirrus, with a few small ones scattered round it. The internal surfaces of the arms are covered with minute hemispherical warts, so as to resemble shagreen.

The Colour is very dark grey, almost black on the dorsal surface and outside the arms; paler grey below and on the inner surfaces of the arms. The dark covering of the body is not continued over the inner surface of the membrane covering the two dorsal arms.

Hab. The Reefs, Kandavu, Fiji. One specimen, ♀.