Euprymna hyllebergi | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Cephalopoda |
Order: | Sepiida |
Family: | Sepiolidae |
Subfamily: | Sepiolinae |
Genus: | Euprymna |
Species: | E. hyllebergi |
Binomial name | |
Euprymna hyllebergi Nateewathana, 1997 [2] | |
Euprymna hyllebergi, the Thai bobtail squid is a species of squid belonging to the family Sepiolidae and is native to the eastern Indian Ocean. It is commonly found in the Andaman Sea of Thailand and in the Gulf of Thailand. [3] E. hyllebergi can grow up to 35mm in mantle length and can be found in depths as low as 74m. [4] The Thai bobtail squid is covered in chromatophores, which are pigmented cells that can expand or contract and are used to camouflage the squid. The normal lifespan of the Thai bobtail squid is between 92 and 122 days for males and between 80 and 113 days for females. [5]
The Thai bobtail squid is a member of the family Sepiolidae. [4]
E. hyllebergi females deposit single, white pyramid-shaped egg capsules. Two hours after being laid, the outer layer of the eggs become a brown color and, after 5 days, eggs become transparent with the embryo visible. After an incubation period of 12 to 16 days, E. hyllebergi hatchlings emerge in a planktonic state with a visible internal yolk sac. After 6 to 8 hours, E. hyllebergi leave the planktonic state and become benthic. [5] Thai bobtail squid typically live between three and ten months, reaching sexual maturity around two months old. [6]
When mating, males perform courtship displays to attract female mates. Once successful, males hold the female and insert the hectocotylus into the female's mantle cavity where fertilization occurs. [7] On average it takes seven to ten minutes for fertilization to occur after the hectocotylus is inserted. [8] After fertilization, females then select an area to lay their egg capsules. Once the area is selected, the egg capsules are laid and the female swims away to select a new area for the remaining capsules. After laying the final capsule, the female swims into the water column where her swimming slows, and her mantle begins to turn yellow and then transparent. The female then shortly sinks down to the substrate and dies between one to four hours after depositing her final egg capsule. Reproducing male Thai bobtail squid typically die a few days after the female. When observed in captivity, the typical lifespan of female E. hyllebergi is between 80 and 113 days while the typical lifespan of male E. hyllebergi is between 92 and 122 days. [5]
The mantles, heads, and arms of Euprymna hyllebergi are covered in chromatophores which are pigmented cells that can expand and contract. The mantle is a thick, dome-shaped pocket of skin that covers the body. Attached to the middle of the mantle are two fins used as stabilizers and as a way to propel the bobtail squid. The head and eyes are located at the bottom of the mantle with the arms and tentacles coming out beneath the head. E. hyllebergi have eight short arms which are tube-like structures used for hunting and eating prey. On the arms, there are small suckers that act as suction cups and are used to better grasp prey. Male and female bobtail squid have two tentacles that are longer than the arms and are used for capturing prey. [9] Male bobtail squid have an extra arm called the hectocotylus which holds and transfers spermatophores to females. [4]
The Thai bobtail squid acts as a host for luminescent bacteria in the family Vibrionaceae. The relationship between the Vibrionaceae bacteria and its host is a mutual, symbiotic relationship in which the bacteria inhabits a light organ located within the squid. [10] Some bacteria species found in captured E. hyllebergi are Vibrio rumoiensis and Vibrio harveyi. Other strains of bioluminescent bacteria have been found on E. hyllebergi individuals but, these strains have not yet been identified. [11] The bacteria that lives on the Thai bobtail squid acts as a form of camouflage, with the luminescence produced matching the wavelengths and intensity of light, allowing the Thai bobtail squid to hide and blend in with its environment. [12]
Thai bobtail squid hatchlings can grow from 2mm to 7mm within their first month of life. Growth models of captive populations demonstrate two growth phases. Phase one occurs from hatching to day 30 and phase two begins when benthic young are able to ingest dead fish meat. [3] Dorsal mantle lengths are recorded of 21mm to 46.5mm in males and 24mm to 50mm in females. [13]
Euprymna hyllebergi have been observed burrowing into the sand and burying themselves to create a coat of sand over their bodies. When beginning to burrow into the sand, E. hyllebergi use a mix of rocking their mantles, fin beating, and water jetting to dig their way beneath. To completely bury themselves below, they sweep their third arm backwards to collect sand grains and place them over their heads. This sand coat is used to camouflage the Thai bobtail squid from predators and prey. E. hyllebergi spend most of the day burrowed in these sand coats and emerge at night to hunt. [3] When not in the presence of sand, E. hyllebergi rest near corals and rocks. As a form of defense, E. hyllebergi can discharge ink which then confuses and distracts predators, allowing them time to escape. E. hyllebergi are often seen swimming at night rather than during the day. While swimming, E. hyllebergi are able to camouflage through disruptive coloration which occurs when the mantle becomes transparent with visible brown spots. [5]
During the day, Thai bobtail squid hide under sand coats and burry themselves to avoid being seen by predators. E. hyllebergi typically feed on live prey at night by capturing prey with their tentacles and arms. When hunting for prey, the tentacles are used for capturing the meal while the arms are used to hold it in place. E. hyllebergi will sometimes release small amounts of ink when hunting to distract prey. [14] E. hyllebergi have a diet consisting of small shrimp and crustaceans.
Euprymna hyllebergi are found in the eastern Indian ocean, specifically in the Andaman Sea off Thailand. Nearly all collected specimens were found in the Andaman Sea and off the Gulf of Thailand. [9] Populations of this species in Thailand are geographically isolated as the populations are separated by the Malaysian peninsula, making migration between the populations difficult. [10] However, this movement of the Thai bobtail squid is not impossible as, in 1977, the squid was spotted in the southern Arabian Sea along the Indian coast. [13]
A squid is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida. 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.
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.
Bobtail squid are a group of cephalopods closely related to cuttlefish. Bobtail squid tend to have a rounder mantle than cuttlefish and have no cuttlebone. They have eight suckered arms and two tentacles and are generally quite small.
Sepiolidae is a family of bobtail squid encompassing 15 genera in three or four subfamilies. A gladius is absent in subfamily Heteroteuthidinae, and in subfamily Sepiolinae it is reduced, or absent like in genus Euprymna. A third subfamily is Rossiinae, and the genus Choneteuthis is considered to be Incertae sedis. Though 72 species have been recognized in Sepiolidae, the validity of a few of them has been questioned.
Euprymna tasmanica, also known as the southern dumpling squid or southern bobtail squid, is a bobtail squid that lives in the shallow temperate coastal waters of southern Australia's continental shelf. It lives for between 5 and 8 months and the adults can grow up to 6 or 7 cm long with a mantle length of 3 to 4 cm. They are found in seagrass beds or areas with soft silty or muddy bottoms from Brisbane on the east coast to Shark Bay on the west, as well as around Tasmania. Southern dumpling squid are nocturnal and during the day hide in sand or mud covered in a mucus-lined coat of sediment. If disturbed acid glans can quickly remove this coat as an additional decoy to ink squirting.
The pharaoh cuttlefish is a large cuttlefish species, growing to 42 cm in mantle length and 5 kg in weight.
Sepietta oweniana is a common marine mollusc from the order Sepiida, the cuttlefish.
Sepia mestus, also known as the reaper cuttlefish or red cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish native to the southwestern Pacific Ocean, specifically Escape Reef off Queensland to Murrays Beach off Jervis Bay. Reports of this species from China and Vietnam are now known to be misidentifications. S. mestus lives at a depth of between 0 and 22 m.
Euprymna scolopes, also known as the Hawaiian bobtail squid, is a species of bobtail squid in the family Sepiolidae native to the central Pacific Ocean, where it occurs in shallow coastal waters off the Hawaiian Islands and Midway Island. The type specimen was collected off the Hawaiian Islands and is located at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
Idiosepius thailandicus, also known as the thai pygmy squid, is a species of bobtail squid native to the Indo-Pacific waters off Thailand. The extent of this species' distribution is still to be determined and records of Idiosepius dwarf squid away from Thailand, south to Indonesia and north to Japan, may be attributable to this species.
Sepiola atlantica, also known as the Atlantic bobtail, is a species of bobtail squid native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Counter-illumination is a method of active camouflage seen in marine animals such as firefly squid and midshipman fish, and in military prototypes, producing light to match their backgrounds in both brightness and wavelength.
Sepioteuthis lessoniana, commonly known as the bigfin reef squid, tiger squid, glitter squid, oval squid, or northern calamari, 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.
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.
Euprymna berryi, commonly called hummingbird bobtail squid or Berry's bobtail squid among various other vernacular names, is a species of mollusc cephalopod in the family Sepiolidae.
Rossia pacifica, also known as the stubby squid, is a species of bobtail squid native to the northern Pacific Ocean. It usually occurs in winter on sandy slopes away from strong currents in moderately shallow water. In summer it moves to deeper water where it breeds. The female cements the egg capsules under a stone or in some other concealed location, and both male and female die soon after breeding.
Neorossia caroli, the Carol bobtail squid, is a species of bobtail squid belonging to the family Sepiolidae.
Euprymna morsei, the Mimika bobtail squid, is a species of Indo-Pacific bobtail squid from the family Sepiolidae.
Uroteuthis noctiluca, commonly known as the luminous bay squid, is a species of squid native to shallow water on the eastern coast of Australia. It uses a pair of luminous organs to camouflage itself from predators at night.
Rossia is a genus of 10 species of benthic bobtail squid in the family Sepioidae found in all oceans. They live at depths greater than 50 m (164 ft) and can grow up to 9 cm in mantle length. This genus was first discovered in 1832 by Sir John Ross and his nephew James Clark Ross in the Arctic Seas, showing a resemblance to another genus under the same family, Sepiola. After returning from their expedition, Sir Richard Owen officially classified Rossia to be a new genus, naming it after Sir John and James Clark Ross.