An Asperoteuthid Squid (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Chiroteuthidae) from New Zealand Misidentified as Architeuthis

A specimen sampled from the Cook Strait, New Zealand, labeled as Architeuthis sp. was examined and identified as a member of the genus Asperoteuthis Nesis, 1980. Comparison with the type specimen of Asperoteuthis acanthoderma (Lu. 1977) previously studied in Denmark led to the conclusion that the New Zealand specimen is a representative of a species new to science and the first record of the genus in these waters.