Vampyroteuthis pseudoinfernalis (Qiu, Liu & Huang, 2024) (Cephalopoda, Vampyromorpha): a synonym of Vampyroteuthis infernalis (Chun 1903)

Vampyroteuthis infernalis is an enigmatic cephalopod who has garnered attention due to its morphology, behavior, and adaptations to life below 600 m in the world oceans. Qiu et al. (2024) reported on a novel Vampyroteuthis species from the South China Sea based on one adult female. In their phylogenetic and morphological analysis, they included specimens from the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and suggested they belong to the new species. Here, we reexamined the morphology of GoM specimens, reran the Qiu et al. (2024) phylogenetic trees using the same dataset (COI, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA; single gene trees), and built new phylogenetic trees (added 16S rRNA and concatenated trees) to investigate the validity of “V. pseudoinfernalis” . Our results do not support “V. pseudoinfernalis” as a novel species but a synonym to V. infernalis . While there is likely intraspecific variation within the Vampire Squids, morphological characters such as the acute tail and the broad elongate wing of the lower beak were not observed from the GoM specimens. None of the phylogenetic trees support “V. pseudoinfernalis” as a distinct species. A suggestion is to collect additional V. infernalis samples from the South China Sea to examine the possibility of intraspecific variation.