| Abundance: common | Distribution:
inner shelf to shelf edge (10-100 m). |
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Dorsal (left) and ventral views. This species has various colorations that include
red, cream, black, gray,
and white. It commonly has a pentagonal disk and arms banded on both the dorsal
and ventral sides.
Most adult specimens collected
had arms that were 4 to 7 cm in length (measured from the disk).
The pentagonal disk
has granule-covered radial shields.
Left: Detail of the
ventral (oral) side shows the two pairs of bursal slits beside each arm, one
pair near
the oral shield, the other at the edge of the disk (best seen at approximately
the 2 o'clock position).
Right: Another ventral detail shows the sharply pointed jaws with a rounded
sucker-like oral shield.
Dorsal (aboral) details
of four specimens collected on the southeast U.S. continental shelf.
This specimen appears to have an inflated disk and sports a black, gray and
white coloration.
The ventral side of
the same specimen shown above shows enlarged gonads.
In one trawl, more
than fifty specimens were collected (and later returned to the sea).
The coloration patterns are varied and numerous. (photo by C. Dietz)