A new southern hemisphere species of Cirroteuthis (Octopoda: Cirrata: Cirroteuthidae), and re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of Cirroteuthis hoylei Robson, 1932

The systematics of the Cirroteuthoidea (Octopoda: Cirrata) is reviewed. The distribution of the first-ever described cirrate, and type species of the genus Cirroteuthis, C. muelleri Eschricht, 1836, previously recorded from the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic, is limited to the Arctic and far northern Atlantic waters, and new specimens and others formerly likened to it from or proximal to Australian and New Zealand waters are referred to a new species, Cirroteuthis kirrilyae sp. nov. Sucker counts provide a consistent morphological difference to separate species. Two taxa formerly attributed to Cirroteuthis (C. hoylei Robson, 1932 and C. magna Hoyle, 1885) are deemed to be sufficiently similar to each other in morphological and molecular characteristics, and to differ sufficiently from species of Cirrothauma, in which both have been recently referred, to warrant description of a new genus, Inopinoteuthis gen. nov. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, the number of genera in this superfamily is increased from 3 to 4, and the number of species from 6 to 9, one of which remains undescribed. A key to these genera and species is provided.