| Selenoteuthis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Oegopsida |
| Family: | Lycoteuthidae |
| Genus: | Selenoteuthis Voss, 1958 |
| Species: | S. scintillans |
| Binomial name | |
| Selenoteuthis scintillans Voss, 1959 [2] | |
Selenoteuthis is a monotypic genus of squid from the family Lycoteuthidae. Its sole species is the small tropical and subtropical North Atlantic species, Selenoteuthis scintillans, the moon squid.
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.
Ancistrocheirus lesueurii, the sharpear enope squid, is the only species in the genus Ancistrocheirus and family Ancistrocheiridae. With a mantle length of 25 cm, this moderately sized squid may be found throughout the tropical and subtropical oceans. They tend to be found at mesopelagic depths.
The Enoploteuthidea are a family of squid comprising approximately 40 species in four genera. Most species have a mantle length ranging from 3–13 cm. Hooks are present on all arms and tentacles. The family is best known for the large array of photophores throughout the body.
Joubiniteuthis portieri, also known as Joubin's squid from the monotypic family Joubiniteuthidae and genus Joubiniteuthis. It is a rare, small squid which occurs in the mesopelagic to bathypelagic zones and which has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a distinctive squid having long arms I-III which have numerous small suckers in six rows. Its biology is little known and it is thought that it stays in the depths of the ocean with its arms outstretched waiting for small animals to ensnare after they have accidentally swum into the arms. This species is named after Louis Joubin, a French zoologist. It is known to reach a mantle length of 9 cm.
The Lycoteuthidae are a family of squid comprising four known genera in two subfamilies. They are small muscular squid characterised by a lack of hooks and by photophores present on the viscera, eyeballs and tentacles. They inhabit tropical and subtropical seas where the diel migrants which stay down in the mesopelagic zone during the day and migrate to the surface to feed at night. Some species show strong sexual dimorphism.
Lepidoteuthis grimaldii, also known as the Grimaldi scaled squid, is a large squid growing to 1 m in mantle length. It is named after the Grimaldi family, reigning house of Monaco. Prince Albert I of Monaco was an amateur teuthologist who pioneered the study of deep sea squids by collecting the 'precious regurgitations' of sperm whales. The Grimaldi scaled squid was first collected from the stomach contents of a sperm whale. It is a widely distributed species in tropical and subtropical areas of the North and South Atlantic, the southern Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, where it has been recorded off Japan and in the west Pacific.
Noctiluca scintillans is a marine species of dinoflagellate that can exist in a green or red form, depending on the pigmentation in its vacuoles. It can be found worldwide, but its geographical distribution varies depending on whether it is green or red. This unicellular microorganism is known for its ability to bioluminesce, giving the water a bright blue glow seen at night. However, blooms of this species are responsible for environmental hazards, such as toxic red tides and eutrophication.
The firefly squid, also commonly known as the sparkling enope squid or hotaru-ika in Japan, is a species of squid in the family Enoploteuthidae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Watasenia. These tiny squid are found on the shores of Japan in springtime during spawning season, but spend most of their life in deeper waters between 200 and 400 metres. They are bioluminescent organisms and emit blue light from photophores, which some scientists have hypothesized could be used for communication, camouflage, or attracting food, but it is still unclear in the scientific community exactly how this species uses their bioluminescence. The firefly squid is a predator and actively hunts its food, which includes copepods, small fish, and other squids. The lifespan of a firefly squid is about one year. At the end of their lives females return close to shore to release their eggs, and then die shortly thereafter. This mass migration of firefly squid to the shore is a lucrative business for Japanese fishermen, and during spawning season many go out to the bays to collect the dying squid. Many more also visit Japan during spawning season to see the bright blue light created from the firefly squid's bioluminescence light up the bay, making their spawning season not only a fishing opportunity but also a tourist attraction.
Megalocranchia fisheri is a species of glass squid. Its natural range covers at least the waters off Hawaii. The species may attain a mantle length of 1.8 m (5.9 ft) and a total length of over 2.7 m (8.9 ft), making it one of the largest species of squid, together with the colossal squid, giant squid, and robust clubhook squid. It inhabits surface and mid-depth waters of open ocean. Juveniles live near the surface, while adults occupy mesopelagic depths during the day and migrate to near-surface waters at night. M. fisheri possesses two large light organs in the gill cavity. Females additionally have light organs on the ends of their third arm pair. As the animal matures, its fins become spear-like in appearance.
Helicocranchia pfefferi, the banded piglet squid, is a small squid of the genus Helicocranchia. Adults of this species are mesopelaegic.
Onykia robusta, also known as the robust clubhook squid and often cited by the older name Moroteuthis robusta, is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae. Reaching a mantle length of 2 m (6.6 ft), it is the largest member of its family and one of the largest of all cephalopods. The tentacular clubs are slender, containing 15-18 club-hooks. Arms of the species contain 50-60 suckers, and grow to 90–100% of the mantle-length. It is found primarily in the boreal to Temperate Northern Pacific.
Galiteuthis phyllura, also known as the cockatoo squid, is a species of glass squid, possibly the largest in the genus.
Chtenopteryx sicula, also known as the comb-finned squid or toothed-fin squid, is a species of squid native to at least the Mediterranean Sea. It is characterised by several distinct morphological features: ocular photophores are present but visceral photophores are absent, arm suckers are arranged in at least 4 series distally, and club suckers are borne in more than 8 series.
Gonatus fabricii, the Boreo-atlantic Armhook Squid, is a squid in the family Gonatidae. It occurs in the northern Atlantic Ocean from Canada to the Barents Sea.
The colossal squid is part of the family Cranchiidae. It is sometimes called the Antarctic squid or giant cranch squid and is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only recognized member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis and is known from only a small number of specimens. The species is confirmed to reach a mass of at least 495 kilograms (1,091 lb), though the largest specimens—known only from beaks found in sperm whale stomachs—may perhaps weigh as much as 600–700 kilograms (1,300–1,500 lb), making it the largest-known invertebrate. Maximum total length has been estimated at 9–10 metres (30–33 ft).
Berryteuthis anonychus, also known as the minimal armhook squid or smallfin gonate squid, is a species of squid in the family Gonatidae. It is distinguished from other gonatids by the lack of hooks on all members, except for females on the base of arms I to III.
Nototodarus sloanii is a species of squid commonly known as the New Zealand arrow squid or Wellington flying squid. It is also known by its Māori name of wheketere. It is a favoured prey species of a number of marine mammals and diving birds. It is an important food source for the New Zealand fur seal and two endangered species: the New Zealand sea lion and the yellow-eyed penguin. N. sloanii is sought by trawler fishermen for human consumption; New Zealand sea lions are frequently caught in trawl nets and drowned when feeding on N. sloanii.
Sepiadarium kochi, common name tropical bottletail squid or Koch's bottletail squid, is a species of cuttlefish.
Lycoteuthinae is a subfamily of squid from the family Lycoteuthidae. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters. They are characterised by the possession of oval photophores on the tentacles, eyeballs and viscera in all species and on the arms, head, mantle and fins in some. Some species also show strong sexual dimorphism. The subfamily contains all of the species classified under Lycoteuthidae, except for Lampadioteuthis megaleia which differs from the Lycoteuthins by the bearing of a hectocotylised arm in males.
