Lolliguncula brevis, or the Atlantic brief squid, is a small species of squid in the Loliginidae family. They are found in shallow parts of the western Atlantic Ocean[4], through Rio de la Plata, Argentina, as far as the Bay of Fundy[5].
The average female Atlantic brief squid is 11cm long and the average male 9cm. The maximum mantle length recorded was 12 cm. The mantle is widest in the middle and tapers to a rounded point at the back. The fins are wider than they are long, rounded and about half the length of the mantle.[4] The mantle has thick muscular walls and a large water-filled cavity and is separated from the head by a collar. The head has two large eyes, the structure of which is very similar to vertebrate eyes. There is a funnel underneath the head which is used in locomotion. There are five pairs of appendages. Numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5 are short tapering arms with two rows of suckers. The left 5th appendage of males is modified to form a hectocotylus arm. The other pair of appendages are contractile tentacles and are much longer than the arms. These have clubs with four rows of suckers at the distal end and are used for capturing food which is then transferred to the arms.
Distribution and Habitat
The Atlantic brief squid occurs most frequently in shallow waters along the eastern seaboard of the United States as far north as Delaware. They are commonly found at depths of 8.9 and 26.5 m[6]. They are more abundant in mud bottoms versus sand bottoms within inlets[5]. They have also been found in Argentina, Brazil, the British Virgin Islands, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.[7] The squid's body salinity matches that of ambient water salinity, making it unique among cephalopods as an osmoconformer[5]. They are known to tolerate low salinity levels, down to about half normal marine salinity (17.9‰), which makes it one of the most euryhalinecephalopodmollusks.[8] However, only slightly lower salinities (16.5‰) kill it in about 48 hours.[9]
Biology
The basic color is dark reddish-brown to yellow-brown. The upper surface is covered in chromatophores which allow the squid to change colors. In order to move, water inside the mantle cavity is expelled through the funnel by muscular contraction of the mantle walls. To catch fast moving prey, the contraction is vigorous, sending a jet of water through the funnel which is directed backwards. To escape a predator, the funnel is directed forwards and the squid shoots backwards at great speed. It can also emit a cloud of ink to distract the predator.[10] The Atlantic Brief Squid is common in the nektonic community and assumed to be important prey for carnivorous fishes. Adults have cannibalistic tendencies toward juveniles. Feeding habits change as they mature. Small squid feed on benthic crustaceans, small fish or fry, and large fish feed on schooling species of fish, such as Bay Anchovies and Silversides. When in captivity, they can survive well on grass shrimp and small fishes such as killifish, livebearers, and Sheepshead Minnow[5]. The hectocotylus arm is used to transfer spermatophores into the female reproductive organ.The posterior end of the female mantle is occupied by a pair of white nidamental glands which secrete the material from which the egg capsule is formed.[11] Eggs are deposited in a gelatinous capsule attached to the sea bed.[4] The large-yolked eggs hatch into fully formed miniature versions of the parent squid.[10]
1234Supplemental Volume: Species of Conservation Concern. SC SWAP 2015. Atlantic Brief Squid. Lolliguncula brevis. Contributor (2005): David Whitaker. (SCDNR).
↑Soares, Lucy Satiko Hashimoto; Salles, Ana Carolina Ribeiro; Lopez, Juliana Pierrobon; Muto, Elizabeti Yuriko; Giannini, Roberto (2009), "Pesca e produção pesqueira", Baía de todos os santos: aspectos oceanográficos, EDUFBA, pp.158–206, ISBN978-85-232-0929-2, retrieved 2026-03-17{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
