Cephalopods from the Netherlands Indian Ocean Programme (NIOP)- I. Chiroteuthis spoeli n. spec. and Chiroteuthis picteti somaliensis n. subspec

Two new squids from the western Indian Ocean acquired during the Netherlands Indian Ocean Programme (NIOP) expeditions in 1992-1993 are described. The species new to science is Chiroteuthis (C.) spoeli, member of the subgenus Chiroteuthis s.str., which differs from the type species Chiroteuthis (C.) joubini chiefly in the enlarged suckers on arm II and III and the tentacular sucker morphology. The new subspecies is assigned to the subgenus Chirothauma in the species Chiroteuthis (C.) picteti and defined as Chiroteuthis (C.) picteti somaliensis, and is characterized by the sharp teeth in the arms. The genus Chiroteuthis, as now defined, consists of 2 subgenera, 7 species and 4 subspecies.