Ornithoteuthis antillarum

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Ornithoteuthis antillarum
Ornithoteuthis antillarum.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Oegopsida
Family: Ommastrephidae
Subfamily: Ommastrephinae
Genus: Ornithoteuthis
Species:
O. antillarum
Binomial name
Ornithoteuthis antillarum
Adam, 1957 [2]

Ornithoteuthis antillarum, the Atlantic bird squid, is a species of flying squid from the family Ommastrephidae which is found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This species is an important component of the diet of many species of fish and of cetaceans. It is taken as a bycatch in fisheries but has the potential to be commercially important if appropriate fishing methods can be developed.

Contents

Description

Ornithoteuthis antillarum has a thin, elongated and muscular mantle which ends in a long, thinly-pointed tail. Its fins are also elongated and are arrow shaped, with sharp tips, concave rear margins and convex forward margins. The largest individual recorded had a mantle length of 300 mm and was from the more northerly extremity of the species' distribution. The length of the fins is more than half that of the mantle. [3] Within the mantle cavity there are three visceral photophores, an oval, anal photophore, a posterior intestinal photophore and an elongated posterior visceral photophore which forms a strip. [4] It has a broad head which is at least as wide as the mantle and there is an elongated photophore patch on the ventral surface of both eyes. [3] The tentacular clubs have a sucker-bearing region which is approximately half of the length of the tentacles with large suckers on the manus with 18-20 widely separated sharp, round and curved teeth on the margin while the suckers on the dactylus are larger in the ventral series and smallest in the dorsal series. [4] The sucker teeth are sexually dimorphic on all of the arms with the females having about 8 plate-like teeth in the proximal margin with the teeth becoming more numerous and pointed in the mid-arm while the males have large plate like teeth on the lateral margins of the mid-arm suckers. [4] The fourth right arm is hectocotylised and has small distal suckers with the skin taking the form of a honeycomb on middle of the arm's ventral surface, this consists of 4 or 5 longitudinal lines of depressions each with 20 to 25 pores. [3]

Distribution

Ornithoteuthis antillarum is found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the eastern and western Atlantic, being found between 20°N and 25°S in the eastern Atlantic and from 40°N to 40°S in the western Atlantic. [1] The type specimen was taken near Basse Terre, Guadeloupe. [4]

Habitat and biology

Ornithoteuthis antillarum is a pelagic, oceanic species which is thought to be commonest near continental slopes. It is at its most abundant at depths between 100m and 600 m. [1] The paralarvae and adults are relatively common in the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida and in the Gulf Stream, extending south into the Caribbean Sea and to the waters over the continental slope off Brazil. It does not seem to be a schooling speciesbut sampling suggests that it is common from the middle of the water column to very near the bottom, although it has never been reported to sit on the bottom. In the Caribbean this species has been recorded at the surface at night, with many specimens being captured at night over deep bottom depths in the eastern South Atlantic between 100m and 600m in depth. Sampling also suggests that O. antillarum lives above the seabed during the day, dispersing upwards at night, a partial diel migrant. [3]

It is a fast swimmer, which enables it to avoid being caught in nets but it has been observed from submersibles and videoed. It typically rests in the water column in a posture known as the “J” posture, this involves the squid hanging roughly head-down with its arms and tentacles curled and slightly spread back over the head and nearby mantle. [3] O. antillarum is a fast-growing species and its maximum life span is 182 days. Growth rates, as measured on statolith increments which represent daily growth lines, [4] slow markedly as the animal matures. [3] The sex ratio is 1:1 [1] and as the population matures it is believed that they undergo a spawning migration into areas associated with sea mounts. The earlier life stages are found in midwater in epipelagic to mesopelagic zones over slopes, tops and oceanic depths, then the sexually mature adults migrate waters associated with sea mounts and oceanic ridges to spawn on or near the bottom. The spermatophores are 9.0 mm in length and they are found in relatively low numbers compared to related species, with up to 100 [3] but normally 50-60 present in the Needham's sac for each male. [1] The eggs are very small, being 0.7 to 1.0 mm in diameter. They spawn intermittently in pulses or batches laying several egg masses over an extended time with the frequency of spawning and the amount of eggs per mass being roughly the same over the spawning period. The smaller females from the warmer waters of the tropical central-east Atlantic bear between 50 000 to 220 000 oocytes and eggs are laid intermittently in egg masses of up to 1,500 eggs [3] over a spawning period which last from six weeks to three months. Spawning appears to occur throughout the year and there are peaks of spawning activity in April–May, August–September and December–January in the eastern-central Atlantic. [1]

O. antillarum preys on many different types of prey and each individual prey item has a low weight, the most common prey is amphipods but it also eats the larvae and fry of squid and carnivorous fish. An individual with a mantle length of 140 mm was photographed from a submersible at 684 m in depth and a water temperature of 10.7 °C in the Bahamas eating an adult bristlemouth Gonostoma elongata , a midwater fish. Prey changes as the squid matures, the smaller individuals, with a mantle length of less than 4mm, mainly prey on copepods, however krill are probably are more important energetically but they are less frequently taken. One they attain a mantle length of greater than 4mm decapod crustaceans and cephalopods are the most important prey items. [3]

O. antillarum has a number of predators and these include epipelagic and mesopelagic fishes and they have been recorded in the diets of fish such as common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hyppurus), Atlantic sailfishes (Istiophorus albicans), skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamus), white marlin (Tetrapturus albidus), albacore (Thunnus alalunga), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), swordfish (Xiphias gladius). They are also preyed upon by cetaceans) including the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and orca (Orcinus orca). With bony fish, O. antillarum are the most important component of the winter diet of yellowfin tuna off Brazil. It is parasitised mainly by didymozoid trematodes, however, the intensity of infection is much reduced compared to same-sized specimens of Sthenoteuthis pteropus . [3]

Fisheries

Ornithoteuthis antillarum is not a target species for fisheries but may be taken as bycatch, however, it could become a quarry species for commercial fisheries if a suitable fishing technique is developed, [1] because this is a common species which could sustain a harvest and its flesh is firm, muscular and palatable. [3]

Related Research Articles

Squid Superorder of cephalopod molluscs

Squid are cephalopods in the superorder Decapodiformes with elongated bodies, large eyes, eight arms and two tentacles. 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.

Albacore Species of tuna

The albacore, known also as the longfin tuna, is a species of tuna of the order Perciformes. It is found in temperate and tropical waters across the globe in the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones. There are six distinct stocks known globally in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. The albacore has an elongate, fusiform body with a conical snout, large eyes, and remarkably long pectoral fins. Its body is a deep blue dorsally and shades of silvery white ventrally. Individuals can reach up to 1.4 m in length.

Gonatidae Family of squids

The Gonatidae, also known as armhook squid, are a family of moderately sized squid. The family contains about 19 species in three genera, widely distributed and plentiful in cold boreal waters of the Pacific Ocean. At least one species is known from Antarctic waters, and two from the North Atlantic. The genus Eogonatus was created for the species known as Eogonatus tinro because it did not have hooks on the tentacular club and it has 5 rows of teeth on the radula. Molecular studies in allozymes and mitochondrial DNA have indicated that this species nests within the genus Gonatus, although other authorities treat it as a synonym of Gonatopsis okutanii.

Ommastrephidae Family of squids

Ommastrephidae is a family of squid containing three subfamilies, 11 genera, and over 20 species. They are widely distributed globally and are extensively fished for food. One species, Todarodes pacificus, comprises around half of the world's cephalopod catch annually.

<i>Sandalops melancholicus</i> Species of squid

Sandalops melancholicus, the sandal-eyed squid or melancholy cranch squid, is a small species of glass squid. It is known to reach a mantle length of 11 cm. It is distributed in the tropical and subtropical oceans around the world. It is the only species in the genus Sandalops but some authorities suggest that this may be a species complex rather than a monotypic genus.

<i>Histioteuthis reversa</i> Species of cephalopod known as the reverse jewel squid

Histioteuthis reversa, commonly known as the reverse jewel squid or the elongate jewel squid, is a species of cock-eyed squid, so called because the eyes are dissimilar. It occurs at moderate depths in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and is also known from the Indian Ocean.

Neon flying squid Species of squid

The neon flying squid, sometimes called the red flying squid, akaika, and red squid is a species of large flying squid in the family Ommastrephidae. They are found in subtropical and temperate oceanic waters globally.

<i>Heteroteuthis dispar</i>

Heteroteuthis dispar, also known as the odd bobtail, is a small deep water squid found in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Sthenoteuthis pteropus, also known as the orangeback flying squid or orangeback squid, is a species of cephalopod in the family Ommastrephidae. It is native to tropical parts of the Atlantic Ocean where it is found to depths of about 200 m (656 ft).

<i>Sepia elegans</i> Species of cuttlefish

Sepia elegans, the elegant cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish in the family Sepiidae from the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important species for fisheries in some parts of the Mediterranean where its population may have suffered from overfishing.

<i>Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis</i> Species of squid

The purpleback flying squid or purpleback squid is a species of cephalopod in the family Ommastrephidae, occurring in the Indo-Pacific. It is considered one of the most abundant large squids.

<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.

<i>Enoploteuthis leptura</i> Species of squid

Enoploteuthis leptura, the hooked enope squid, is a species of squid from the family Enoploteuthidae. It is the type species of the genus Enoploteuthis, which is in turn the type genus of the Enoploteuthidae.

<i>Gonatopsis borealis</i> Species of squid

Gonatopsis borealis, the Boreopacific armhook squid, is a species of squid from the North Pacific Ocean. It is a member of the family Gonatidae. It is an abundant species which is currently caught mainly as a bycatch by fishing boats targeting other quarry. It is an important prey species for many commercially important species of fish, as well as for marine mammals.

Gonatopsis japonicus is a species of squid from the family Gonatidae. This species is restricted to the western North Pacific in the seas around the Japanese Archipelago.

Eucleoteuthis is a monotypic genus of squid from the family Ommastrephidae, the only species is Eucleoteuthis luminosa, the striped flying squid or luminous flying squid.

Ornithoteuthis volatilis, the shiny bird squid, is a squid from the subfamily Ommastrephinae, the flying squids, of the family Ommastrephidae part of the pelagic squid order Oegopsida. It is a tropical and sub-tropical species which is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific oceans. It is slightly larger than the closely related species Ornithoteuthis antillarum of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Angolan flying squid is a species of squid from the subfamily Todarodinae, part of the familyOmmastrephidae. Due to taxonomic confusion with the Antarctic flying squid the exact limits of its distribution are uncertain but it is thought to be restricted to waters off Southern Africa.

Antarctic flying squid Species of squid

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.

European flying squid Species of squid

The European flying squid is a species of squid from the continental slope and oceanic waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the type species of the genus Todarodes, the type genus of the subfamily Todarodinae of the pelagic squid family Ommastrephidae. It is a species which is targeted by some fisheries, although it is more often a bycatch.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barratt, I. & Allcock, L. (2014). "Ornithoteuthis antillarum". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T163232A987711. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T163232A987711.en. Downloaded on 11 March 2018.
  2. ↑ Julian Finn (2016). Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O (eds.). "Ornithoteuthis antillarum Adam, 1957". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 P. Jereb; C.F.E. Roper, eds. (2010). Cephalopods of the World an Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Cephalopod Species Known to Date Volume 2 Myopsid and Oegopsid Squids (PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization Rome. p. 312. ISBN   978-92-5-106720-8.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Vecchione, Michael & Richard E. Young (2015). "Ornithoteuthis antillarum Adam, 1957. Version 26 February 2015 (under construction)". The Tree of Life Web Project . Retrieved 11 March 2018.
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