''Magnapinna'' sp. B is an
undescribed species
In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...
of
bigfin squid
Bigfin squids are a group of rarely seen cephalopods with a distinctive Morphology (biology), morphology. They are placed in the genus ''Magnapinna'' and family (biology), family Magnapinnidae. Although the family was described only from larva ...
known only from a single immature specimen collected in the northern
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
Description
It is characterised by its dark
epidermal
The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermal layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water relea ...
pigmentation, which is
epithelial
Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial ( mesothelial) tissues line the outer surfaces of man ...
, as opposed to the
chromatophoral pigmentation found in other ''Magnapinna'' species.
Discovery
The only known specimen of ''Magnapinna'' sp. B is a juvenile male of
mantle length (ML) held in the
Bergen Museum
The University Museum of Bergen () is a university museum in Bergen, Norway. The museum features material related to anthropology, archaeology, botany, geology, zoology, art, and cultural history.
History
The University Museum of Bergen was fo ...
. It was caught by the R/V G.O. SARS (MAR-ECO cruise super station 46, local station 374) on July 11, 2004, at .
References
*Vecchione, M. & Young, R. E. (2006)
"The squid family Magnapinnidae (Mollusca; Cephalopoda) in the North Atlantic with a description of ''Magnapinna atlantica'', n. sp." ''Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.'' 119(3): 365–372.
External links
Tree of Life web project: ''Magnapinna'' sp. B
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6731278
Bigfin squid
Undescribed mollusc species
Species known from a single specimen