Abraliopsis pfefferi

(Joubin, 1896)

Mantle conical, without tail. Fin tongue-like or transverse-oval in larvae and juveniles, heart-shaped in adults, wide and long, reaching tip of mantle. Arms rather long, with 2 rows of suckers in larvae; 2 rows of hooks and 2 rows of small suckers on tips in adults. Ventral arms noticeably longer than others. Tentacles long, robust, club very faintly widened, with elongate-oval carpal membrane and longitudinal keel; in larvae and juveniles its central part with 4 rows of suckers, in adults with 2 rows of hooks (all 4-5 ventral hooks large, crescent-shaped; dorsal hooks very small), and one row of very small suckers between small hooks. In juveniles ventral hooks appear earlier than dorsal. Buccal membrane deep purple.
Photophores on ventral mantle in approx. Six longitudinal rows in juveniles, diffuse in adults except bare mid-ventral strip; on ventral head also diffuse in central part and the 2 rows between eyes and funnel opening; in 3-4 longitudinal rows on base (2 in juveniles) and 2 on tips of ventral arms. On eyeball, ventrally, 5 round photophores, 1st and 5th somewhat larger than others. Three round black photophores on ends of ventral arms, in larvae first 1 (at ML approx. 3 mm), then 3, but appearing as white balls, becoming black only later. Egg size 1.0-1.5 mm, average 1.0 by 1.3 mm. ML up to 40 mm.
Closely related to a complex of very similar Indo-West Pacific species: Abraliopsis hoylei (Pfeffer, 1884); Abraliopsis pacificus Tsuchiya and Okutani, 1990; Abraliopsis tui Riddell, 1985.

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