Taningia

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Taningia
Taningia danae5.jpg
Ventral view of Taningia danae
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Oegopsida
Family: Octopoteuthidae
Genus: Taningia
Joubin, 1931 [1]
Type species
Taningia danae
Joubin, 1931
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • Cucioteuthus? Steenstrup 1882
  • Cucioteuthis? Joubin, 1898

Taningia is a genus of squid, one of the two referred to as octopus squid (family Octopoteuthidae), the other being Octopoteuthis , its sister genus. Both Octopoteuthis and Taningia are characterized by their lack of tentacles for the majority of their life cycle, which led to their common name.

Contents

Classification

This genus is named after Danish fisheries biologist Åge Vedel Tåning (1890-1958). [2]

Taningia is separated from Octopoteuthis by adults possessing a large photophore on the tips of arm pair II (second pair from the dorsal), which are the only known photophores on the body along with the ink sac organ (Octopoteuthis has photophores on each arm-tip and spread around its body). The photophores, around the size of lemons, [3] possesses eyelid-like skin flaps which conceal the light organs when needed. The genus reaches 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in mantle length (ML), though 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) has also been reported. [4] This genus possesses two rows of arm hooks on each arm pair, which develop after 5 mm (0.20 in) ML; a single photophore may also develop on the ink sac at this size. The paralarvae have robust tentacular stalks; these disappear at 38 mm (1.5 in) ML, leaving the squid with eight arms. [5] [6]

Additional diagnostic characters include arms being 25-58% of ML, with arm pair II being the shortest, each arm having a single broad buccal connective (membrane connecting the arm to the mass of the mouth), and the mantle cartilage being broad, and blunt towards the head. [7]

Traditionally, this genus is considered to be monotypic, with only Taningia danae as a valid species. T. persica was named from a paralarval specimen in 1923, and it is currently considered a species inquirenda due to the uncertain identity of the holotype. [8] [9] A 2019 thesis recovered more species in this genus, [7] but these have not yet been accepted by various online taxonomic databases. [10] [1]

The species recovered by the 2019 study are as follows: [7]


References

  1. 1 2 Julian Finn (2016). "Taningia Joubin, 1931". World Register of Marine Species . Flanders Marine Institute . Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "Taningia danae, a deep-sea bioluminescent squid". The Cephalopod Page. Dr. James B. Wood. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  3. ↑ Bryner, Jeanna. "Underwater photos: Elusive octopus squid 'smiles' for the camera". livescience.com. LiveScience. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "Capture of rare giant squid near Whakaari/ White Island". RNZ . 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  5. ↑ Roper, C.F.E.; Jereb, P. (2010). Family Octopoteuthidae. In P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper, eds. Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species known to date. Volume 2. Myopsid and Oegopsid Squids. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 4, Vol. 2 (PDF) (4 ed.). Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization. pp. 262–268. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "Family Octopoteuthidae - octopus squids". sealifebase.ca. SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Kelly, Jesse Tyler (2019). Systematics of the Octopoteuthidae Berry, 1912 (Cephalopoda: Oegopsida) (Thesis). Auckland University of Technology.
  8. ↑ van der Land, Jacob. "Taningia persica (Naef, 1923)". marinespecies.org. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  9. ↑ Vecchione, M.; Roper, C.F.E. (December 1992). "Case 2845. Taningia danae Joubin, 1931 (Mollusca, Cephalopoda): proposed precedence over Taningia persica (Naef, 1923)". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 49 (4): 261–263. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  10. ↑ "10 Species in Family Octopoteuthidae". sealifebase.ca. SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
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