Note

Vampyroteuthis infernalis Mantle Cavity

Richard E. Young and Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003)

Ventral view of an immature, female V. infernalis with the mantle cavity of cut open. Posteriorly the lining of the mantle cavity has been cut away to better view the visceral nucleus. Note that there is no abdominal septum, no ink sac, no anal flaps. The visceropericardial coelom (dark region surrounding the ventricle, stomach and caecum) is large. Posteriorly, in the ventral midline, the mantle muscle terminates on the conus of the gladius. The photograph on the right shows a mature female. The arrangement of the viscera looks very different. The gladius, with a small rostrum and a dark "apical organ", is visible because surrounding tissue has been removed.

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Figure. Vampyroteuthis infernalis. Left - Ventral view, immature female, with the mantle cavity opened. Drawing by R. Young. Right - The mantle cavity of a mature female. Photograph by R. Young.

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Figure. View of a portion of the mantle cavity of V. infernalis. The stellate ganglion (arrow), a characteristic structure of cephalopods, appears as only a slight enlargement of a large mantle nerve. The nerve running toward the oviducal gland is the fin nerve. Photograph by R. Young.

About This Page


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003)
Laboratoire Arago, Banyuls-Sur-Mer, France

Page: Tree of Life Vampyroteuthis infernalis Mantle Cavity Authored by Richard E. Young and Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003). The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

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