Cephalopoda Glossary
A Fin generally attaches, via cartilage, to the shell (actually to a tough membrane, the shell-sac that secretes the shell, or to an outpocketing of the shell sac) (Figs. A and B), the opposite fin (Fig. C) or to some combination of these two. Some, however, attach directly to the muscular mantle (Figs. D and E) over most of their length. Since the mantle flexes, the attachment cannot be rigid and a detached portion of the shell-sac enables slippage. Sometimes these latter fins are easily dislodged from the mantle in preserved animals.
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Figure. A - Pterygioteuthis sp., modified from Naef, 1921-23. B - Discoteuthis sp., modified from Young and Roper, 1969. C - Octopoteuthis sp., modified from Young and Roper, 1969. D - Loligo vulgaris, modified from Naef, 1921-23. E - Sepia officinalis, modified from Naef, 1921-23.
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Figure. Side view of the head, anterior mantle and fin of Thysanoteuthis rhombus. The fin attaches to the side of the mantle which is unusual in oegopsid squids. Photograph by R. Young.
References
Naef, A. 1921-1923. Die Cephalopoden. Fauna e Flora del Golfo di Napoli, Monographie 35, Vol I, Parts I and II, Systematik, pp 1-863.
Young, R. E. and C. F. E. Roper (1969). A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic: The family Cycloteuthidae. Smithson. Contr. Zool., No. 5: 1-24.
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University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA
Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003)
Laboratoire Arago, Banyuls-Sur-Mer, France
Page copyright © 2001 , , and Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003)
Page: Tree of Life
Cephalopod Fin Attachment
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Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003).
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