Loligo

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Loligo
Temporal range: Eocene - recent [1]
Loligo vulgaris.jpg
Live specimen of L. vulgaris from the Belgian continental shelf, photographed on board the RV Belgica. (ML: 138 mm, MW: 39 mm)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Myopsida
Family: Loliginidae
Genus: Loligo
Lamarck, 1798 [2]
Type species
Loligo vulgaris
Lamarck, 1798
Synonyms

Pteroteuthis Ehrenberg, 1831

Loligo is a genus of squid and one of the most representative and widely distributed groups of myopsid squid.

Contents

The genus was first described by Jean Baptiste Lamarck in 1798. However, the name had been used earlier than Lamarck (Schneider, 1784; Linnaeus, 1758) and might even have been used by Pliny. In the early 19th century, this generic name was often used as a grouping for all true squid.

All three species of Loligo are caught by commercial fisheries, most abundantly by traditional trawling methods (mobile gear). In the United States of America, Longfin squid are federally regulated under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Management Plan. Loligo vulgaris and others are noted for being attracted to lights at night; they can therefore be fished using different light-attraction methods. Commercial fishing is heavily regulated in the United States, and fishing using mobile gear is only permitted during daylight hours. However, the recreational fisherman is often found sitting by a light at the pier, happily jigging for squid with a rod and reel.

Loligo is the oldest true squid genus known from fossil remains; statoliths assigned to the extinct species Loligo applegatei are known from the early Eocene. In addition, a pyritized imprint of a Loligo squid is known from the Oligocene of Krasnodar, Russia, marking the first true squid known from a complete body fossil. The squid appears to have suffocated in anoxic bottom water while attempting to eat an extinct cutlassfish ( Anenchelum ). [1]

Species

The recent classification of Vecchione et al. (2005)[1] and the Tree of Life Web Project (2010)[2] recognises only three species within Loligo, many others having been split off in other loliginid genera.

Synapomorphies

Unlike many genera that can be described by commonalities inherited exclusively from their common ancestor, the classification of a species as being in the genus Loligo is not based on positive discrimination. The only positive distinction is not based on any form of inheritance and has to do with its Eastern Atlantic distribution. Other than this, the grounds for grouping a squid in this taxon is exclusively based on its lacking of characteristics that would put it in another taxon. Thus all squid in Loligo have rhomboidal fins as adults, elongated mantles, fins whose length exceeds their breadth, and lack photophores, but all other squid genera do as well.

Mating

Mating in this genus is aseasonal. Such breeding is referred to as continuous breeding. Loligo squid gather near the surface of the water and males frenzy for females. Insertion of a sperm sac into the female is done with the tentacles of a male. The female then lays the fertilized eggs in roughly twenty jelly-filled sacs, each containing 200-300 eggs. Hatching occurs after three to four weeks, and complete sexual maturation takes roughly three years.

Educational uses

Squid of the genus Loligo have widely been used in first year biology laboratories. Aside from being highly affordable, preserved and readily available for purchase online, the relative size of a specimen in this genus is perfect for laboratory use. Averaging at roughly 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 inches) in length, the squid is small enough to fit on a typical dissection tray while large enough to have very visible structures for easy identifiability.

Human consumption

Squid of genus Loligo are widely consumed by humans. In the United States, commercial fishing for squid is federally regulated and yearly quotas are set by NOAA. Even with all the squid caught and consumed by humans, it does not threaten the genus because of its members’ prolific breeding habits. Loligo squid are available for fishing all year round, within the limits of the federally set quotas, and this greatly increases their desirability for industrial fisheries. This squid, when cooked, is what is commonly called calamari.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squid</span> Superorder of cephalopod molluscs

A squid is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting these criteria. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, and a mantle. They are mainly soft-bodied, like octopuses, but have a small internal skeleton in the form of a rod-like gladius or pen, made of chitin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cephalopod</span> Class of mollusks

A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot. Fishers sometimes call cephalopods "inkfish", referring to their common ability to squirt ink. The study of cephalopods is a branch of malacology known as teuthology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loliginidae</span> Family of squids

Loliginidae, commonly known as pencil squids, is an aquatic family of squid classified in the order Myopsida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whip-lash squid</span> Family of cephalopods known as whip-lash squid

The Mastigoteuthidae, also known as whip-lash squid, are a family of small deep-sea squid. Approximately 20 known species in six genera are represented, with members found in both the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zone of most oceans. Originally described by Verill in 1881, it was later lowered by Chun (1920) to a subfamily (Mastigoteuthinae) of the Chiroteuthidae. However, Roper et al. (1969) raised it back to the family level, and this has not been changed since. The taxonomy of this family is extremely unstable, and there have been at times one genus, two genera and four subgenera(Salcedo-Vargas & Okutani, 1994), two genera and several 'groups', five genera and one species with an uncertain placement, or six genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oegopsida</span> Order of squids

Oegopsida is one of the two orders of squid in the superorder Decapodiformes, in the class Cephalopoda. Together with the Myopsina, it was formerly considered to be a suborder of the order Teuthida, in which case it was known as Oegopsina. This reclassification is due to Oegopsina and Myopsina not being demonstrated to form a clade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myopsida</span> Order of squids

Myopsida is one of the four orders of squid. It consists of two families: the monotypic Australiteuthis and the diverse and commercially important Loliginidae. Some taxonomists classify this taxon as a suborder of the order Teuthida, in which case it is known as Myopsina. This reclassification is due to Myopsina and Oegopsina not being demonstrated to form a clade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longfin inshore squid</span> Species of cephalopod

The longfin inshore squid is a species of squid of the family Loliginidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albatross</span> Family of large seabirds

Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes. They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. They are absent from the North Atlantic, although fossil remains show they once occurred there and occasional vagrants are found. Albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds, and species of the genus Diomedea have the longest wingspans of any extant birds, reaching up to 3.7 m (12 ft). The albatrosses are usually regarded as falling into four genera, but disagreement exists over the number of species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European squid</span> Species of cephalopods

The European squid or common squid is a large squid belonging to the family Loliginidae. It occurs abundantly in coastal waters from the North Sea to at least the west coast of Africa. This species lives from sea level to depths of 500 m (1,600 ft). Its mantle is up to 40 cm (16 in) long. The species is extensively exploited by commercial fisheries.

<i>Desmatophoca</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Desmatophoca is an extinct genus of early pinniped that lived during the Miocene, and is named from the Greek "phoca", meaning seal. A taxon of the family Desmatophocidae, it shares some morphological similarities with modern true seals. Two species are recognized: Desmatophoca oregonensis and Desmatophoca brachycephala. Little information exists regarding Desmatophoca, due to the small number of fossil samples obtained and identified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyjama shark</span> Species of shark

The pyjama shark or striped catshark is a species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to the coastal waters of South Africa. This abundant, bottom-dwelling species can be found from the intertidal zone to a depth of around 100 m (330 ft), particularly over rocky reefs and kelp beds. With a series of thick, parallel, dark stripes running along its stout body, the pyjama shark has an unmistakable appearance. It is additionally characterized by a short head and snout with a pair of slender barbels that do not reach the mouth, and two dorsal fins that are placed far back on the body. It can grow up to a length of 1.1 m (3.6 ft) long.

<i>Australiteuthis</i> Genus of squids

A. aldrichi is a small species of squid found in northern Australian waters. The species was described by Chung Cheng Lu in 2005 based on specimens collected in the inshore waters of Northern Australia. The largest known individual of this species is a mature female measuring 27.6 mm (1.09 in) in mantle length (ML). The holotype is a mature male of 21.3 mm (0.84 in) ML. A live specimen of A. aldrichi has yet to be recorded. A. aldrichi is a member of the class Cephalopoda and part of the subclass Coleodia. Within this class there are two orders, the Myopsida and Oegopsida, which both fall under the superorder Decapodiformes. A. aldrichi falls under the order of Myospida, and is the only member of its genus, Australiteuthis, and family, Australiteuthidae.

Loligo reynaudii, commonly known as the Cape Hope squid, is a 20–30 cm long squid belonging to the family Loliginidae. In South Africa it is known as either calamari or chokka.

<i>Loligo forbesii</i> Species of cephalopods

Loligo forbesii, known commonly as the veined squid and long-finned squid, is a commercially important species of squid in the family Loliginidae, the pencil squids.

<i>Sepioteuthis</i> Genus of squids

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<i>Varicospira</i> Genus of gastropods

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bigfin reef squid</span> Species of squid

Sepioteuthis lessoniana, commonly known as the bigfin reef squid, glitter squid or oval squid, is a species of loliginid squid. It is one of the three currently recognized species belonging to the genus Sepioteuthis. Studies in 1993, however, have indicated that bigfin reef squids may comprise a cryptic species complex. The species is likely to include several very similar and closely related species.

<i>Heterololigo</i> Genus of squids

Heterololigo is a monotypic genus of squids containing the single species Heterololigo bleekeri. It was formerly classified in the genus Loligo; some authors still include it there, but DNA evidence supports its separation into a genus of its own. This species is known by the common name spear squid.

<i>Alloteuthis media</i> Species of squid

Alloteuthis media, the midsize squid or little squid, is a species of squid in the family Loliginidae from the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. It is generally a by-catch species in trawl fisheries, although there is an active fishery in the western Mediterranean.

References

  1. 1 2 Mironenko, Aleksandr A.; Boiko, Maxim S.; Bannikov, Alexandre F.; Arkhipkin, Alexander I.; Bizikov, Viacheslav A.; Košťák, Martin (10 August 2021). "First discovery of the soft‐body imprint of an Oligocene fossil squid indicates its piscivorous diet". Lethaia. 54 (5): 793–805. doi:10.1111/let.12440. ISSN   0024-1164.
  2. Julian Finn (2016). "Loligo Lamarck, 1798". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  1. ↑ Vecchione, M., E. Shea, S. Bussarawit, F. Anderson, D. Alexeyev, C.-C. Lu, T. Okutani, M. Roeleveld, C. Chotiyaputta, C. Roper, E. Jorgensen & N. Sukramongkol. (2005). "Systematics of Indo-West Pacific loliginids." (PDF). Phuket Marine Biological Center Research Bulletin 66: 23–26.
  2. ↑ Vecchione, M. & R.E. Young. (2010). Loliginidae Lesueur, 1821. The Tree of Life Web Project.
Taxon identifiers
  • EoL: 38585
  • GBIF: 2289182
  • ITIS: 82370
  • NCBI: 6616
  • Fossilworks: 15957
  • WoRMS: 138139