- Arms and web
- Arms subequal, with arms IV generally shortest.
- Web formula, variable, usually ABCDE.
- Web on dorsal arm margin extends nearly to arm tip.
- Web nodule present on ventral margin of each arm near, at or nearly at the termination of the web.
- Dorsal arms with 47-58 suckers.
- Sucker arrangement: first 4-5 suckers small or minute, followed abruptly by larger suckers that increase in size over first third of arm length, then gradually decrease to tip.
- Sexual dimorphism in suckers: Males - largest sucker diameter 4.3-6.7% of ML, shape globular; females - largest sucker diameter 2.6 -3.5% of ML, shape tubular.
- Cirri short: length 0.7 - 1.5 x largest sucker diameter.
- First cirri between suckers 3 and 4.
- "...U-shaped, formed of rounded-edged flat strip that tapers to a thin flat point distally."
- "Fin insertions long and form slight angle near base with rounded apex."
The above description is taken from Voss and Pearcy, 1990. More details of the description of G. bathynectes can be found here.
Among Pacific species, G. bathynectes differs from:
- G. abyssicola in having fewer suckers (58 vs 77; web nodule at sucker 26 vs 32-34), shorter cirri (1.5 vs 2.5 x largest sucker diam.), position of first cirri (3-4 vs 4-6), shell shape (lateral arm of shell not expanded vs lobelike), anterior salivary present vs absent.
- G. tuftsi in having sexual dimorphism in sucker shape, less elongate gills, shorter cirri, absence of enlarged suckers near web nodules and no radula (Voss and Pearcy, 1990).
- G. innominata in the lack of peculiar features of the shell and, possibly, a shorter gill (half-orange vs semi-sepioid).
- G. hippocrepium by no clear characters other than locality.
- G. meangensis by, apparently, the lack of large shoulder blades on the shell.
- G. pacifica in having more suckers (77 vs 52).
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