| European common squid | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Myopsida |
| Family: | Loliginidae |
| Genus: | Alloteuthis |
| Species: | A. subulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Alloteuthis subulata | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Alloteuthis subulata, the European common squid, is a species of squid in the family Loliginidae. [1] [2]
Alloteuthis subulata is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean as far south as North-west Africa, the North Sea, the western Baltic Sea, [3] and Mediterranean Sea. [1] In British waters, it has a southernly bias to its distribution but has been found as far north as the Solway Firth and the Firth of Clyde. [4]
Alloteuthis subulata has a long, narrow mantle with a long tail which is pointed in adult females and even longer and rather spike-like in adult males. The fins are rhomboid-shaped, with pointed sides, and their rear ends are concave and extend along the tail. The short tentacles are delicate, with small, narrow clubs. Its color is normally pale grey with many brown or purplish spots. [5]
Length is up to 21 cm and the maximum mantle length is 14 cm. [6]
Alloteuthis subulata is usually associated with the water column above sandy and hard bottoms.
The males and females arrive together in inshore waters of the North Sea in early summer. The spawning season is restricted to June and July. Eggs are covered in gel and laid in strings, which are attached to hard objects on the seabed. The eggs hatch after about 2 weeks when the juveniles are 2 mm long. They first appear in plankton samples towards the end of July; after about 15 to 30 days, they switch to a demersal mode of life.
In November, when they are 3 months old and about 3 cm in length, they move out of the North Sea, returning the following spring, by which time they will have attained a length of about 5 cm. The life expectancy is between 1 and 2 years.
The species feeds on small and juvenile fishes.
Alloteuthis subulata is normally taken as bycatch in trawl fisheries for other species throughout its range. In the Mediterranean Sea, the species is normally caught between 20 and 120 m depth over sandy-muddy substrates. Squid so caught may be marketed fresh and frozen. There are no separate statistics reported for this species, as catches are not reported separately from Alloteuthis media . [7]
Loliginidae, commonly known as pencil squids, is an aquatic family of squid classified in the order Myopsida.
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.
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.
Doryteuthis opalescens, the opalescent inshore squid or market squid, is a small squid in the family Loliginidae. It is a myopsid squid, which is the near shore group and that means that they have corneas over their eyes. The species lives in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Mexico's Baja California peninsula to Alaska, United States, and as an inshore squid it can be found with a range of 200 miles (320 km) off the coast.
Taningia danae, the Dana octopus squid, is a species of squid in the family Octopoteuthidae. It is one of the largest known squid species, reaching a mantle length of 1.7 m (5.6 ft) and total length of 2.3 m (7.5 ft). The largest known specimen, a mature female, weighed 161.4 kg (356 lb).
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.
Cephalopods vary enormously in size. The smallest are only about 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long and weigh less than 1 gram (0.035 oz) at maturity, while the largest—the giant and colossal squids—can exceed 10 metres (33 ft) in length and weigh close to half a tonne (1,100 lb), making them the largest living invertebrates. Living species range in mass more than three-billion-fold, or across nine orders of magnitude, from the lightest hatchlings to the heaviest adults. Certain cephalopod species are also noted for having individual body parts of exceptional size. The giant and colossal squids, for example, have the largest known eyes among living animals.
Histioteuthis bonnellii, the umbrella squid, is a species of cock-eyed squid belonging to the family Histioteuthidae.
Alloteuthis africana, also known as the African squid, is a species of squid in the family Loliginidae. This species of squid is restricted to the Guinean province. To identify the Alloteuthis africana from other Alloteuthis congeners, it is highly recommended to measure the width of the squids head and the sucker size.
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.
Illex coindetii, commonly known as the southern shortfin squid or broadtail shortfin squid, is a species of neritic squids in the family Ommastrephidae. They are found in the Mediterranean Sea and on both sides of the north Atlantic Ocean.
Brachioteuthis riisei, also known as the common arm squid, is a species of squid in the family Brachioteuthidae.
Uroteuthis is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus Uroteuthis are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores and all species in the genus have a pair of photophore organs on the ventral surface of their ink sac either side of their intestine.
Neorossia caroli, the Carol bobtail squid, is a species of bobtail squid belonging to the family Sepiolidae.
Afrololigo mercatoris, commonly known as the Guinean thumbstall squid, is a small species of squid in the family Loliginidae from the eastern central Atlantic Ocean. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Afrololigo.
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.
Loliolus is a genus of squid from the family Loliginidae from the Indo-Pacific region. The genus is divided into two subgenera Loliolus and Nipponololigo. They are small squids of less than 150mm in mantle length which have an expanded tentacular club. This club has 4 series of suckers. The sucker rings have plate-like teeth which are square in shape all around them. The males' hectocotylus has a ventral crest which is created by the fusion of the protective membrane with the ventral series of papillae and this crest completely obscures the conical shape of the papillae. The mantle is rounded posteriorly and lacks the posterior tail-like lobe while the fins are positioned on the rear of the mantle and extend to the posterior tip of the mantle. Their eggs are small and the males' spermatophore has a short cement body. They do not possess photophores. The two subgenera are distinguished by the hectocotylus which in Loliolus encompasses the entire arm and there are no unmodified suckers while in Nipponololigo the arm is only partly hectocotylsed and has normal suckers at its base.
Lolliguncula is a genus of squid from the family Loliginidae from the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic, known as brief squid. The genus is divided into two subgenera Lolliguncula and Loliolopsis. They are rather small squids with a maximum mantle length of 120mm, that inhabit shallow warm seas, although some species have been recorded in areas of low salinity. They are typified by having a short mantle, which is round at the posterior; and fins that are broader than long, but which have no posterior lobes. The males produce spermatophores with a long cement body and they lack a ventral crest on their hectocotylus. Their suckers have square teeth which ring the entire margin or are placed distally. The males do not have enlarged suckers on the left ventral arm. The tentacular club is expanded and contains suckers in four series. The two subgenera differ in the morphology of the hectocotylus.
Neoteuthis is a monotypic genus of squid, the sole member is Neoteuthis thielei, from the family Neoteuthidae. This species has long tentacular clubs measuring 60% of the mantle length and fins which are 70% of its mantle length. It has a proximal locking-apparatus for the club which is restricted to manus, which in turn has proximal suckers which are circular. It has been recorded from the South Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, near the Canary Islands and North Pacific Ocean, north of Hawaii. The paralarvae and juveniles are found in the epipelagic to mesopelagic zones while adults occur in the mesopelagic to bathypelagic zones.
The Antarctic flying squid is a species of squid from the subfamily Todarodinae of the family Ommastrephidae, a family of pelagic squid from the order Oegopsida. It has a circumglobal distribution in the seas around the lower latitudes of the Southern Oceans.
