(G. Voss, 1960)
Mantle narrowly cup-like or semi-spindle-shaped, subacute behind, smooth, membranous in larvae and leathery in adults, slimy. No cartilaginous tubercles. Head small, in larvae with conical "snout" (arm-crown pillar). Eyes in larvae on long stalks, elongate, with rostrum, in adults not stalked, globular. Fins in larvae petaloid, attached to rear sides of lanceola, not fused, in adults egg-shaped, divided by tail needle. Anterior fin margins attached to anterior sides of lanceola, not extending onto mantle sides. Fin length approx. 50% ML. Arms short, in adults with wide protective membranes. Suckers in 2 rows, on lateral arms some suckers on mid-portions enlarged, their rings with some blunt teeth; sucker rings on distal end of arms in adult squids with long, wide, acute teeth on distal margin. Tentacles rather short but strong, not autotomized. Four rows of suckers along tentacular stalk in larvae, 2 on proximal and 4 on distal part in juveniles, and in adults two rows of alternating knobs and suckers; no carpal group of suckers and knobs. Central club suckers somewhat larger than marginal ones, with 6-8 large acute teeth on distal and some small ones on proximal margin. Lanceola with concave rear margins, tapering posteriorly into thin needle-like tail. Funnel small. Medial component of funnel organ with 2 low conical lateral papillae without central one. Funnel valve present. Two eyeball photophores, anterior ice-hockey-stick-like, strongly bent, posterior elongated, narrow. Two dumb-bell-shaped photophores with round lenses on ends located on ventral side of digestive gland, on enlarged ink-sac. In live squids they appear as bright green spots. Large photophore on ends of 3rd (or 1st-3rd) arms in mature females. Ends of 1st-3rd arms modified in mature males, with minute suckers in 2 rows. Larvae and juveniles semitransparent and almost colorless. ML up to 81 cm. Larvae identified by conical "snout" and long eyestalks, juveniles by ink sac photophores and fins divided by tail needle. In larvae caudal pair of ink sac photophores develops first, at ML approx. 25-30 mm. Juveniles become adult-like at ML 40-60 mm.
Probably 3 species, one in the South Atlantic.