Onychoteuthis meridiopacifica
Michael Vecchione, Richard E. Young, Kotaro Tsuchiya, and K.S.R. Bolstad
Introduction
O. meridiopacifica may be the smallest species in the genus. Males become mature at 40 mm ML (Rancurel and Okutani, 1990). The short, broad fins and the presence of a few marginal suckers on the tentacular clubs of adults are diagnostic of this species.
Diagnosis
An Onychoteuthis ...
- with ca. 4-6 marginal suckers on tentacular clubs.
- with short, broad fins (length ~35% ML, width 70-80% ML).
- reaching a maximum recorded size of 90 mm ML.
Characteristics
- Tentacular club
- Some proximal marginal suckers remain in adults (3-4 in dorsal series, 1-2 in ventral series).
- Length 20-25% of ML.
- 16-19 hooks (usually 17-18). Examples of club hooks are on the left.
- Carpal locking-apparatus with 6 suckers.
- Terminal pad with "few" suckers. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Figure. Oral views of tentacular clubs of O. meridiopacifica. Top - holotype. Drawing from Kubodera et al. (1998). Middle - Drawing from Rancurel 1970, with separate hooks from the ventral (top) and dorsal series. Bottom - Drawing from Rancurel and Okutani 1990.
- Photophores
- Visceral photophores very small.
- Anterior intestinal photophore small, oval; posterior photophore 1.5 times "larger"; does not exceed width of intestine. Intestine not coiled around posterior photophore.
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Figure. Ventral view of the viscera of O. meridiopacifica showing intestinal photophores. AP - Anterior intestinal photophore. PP - Posterior intestinal photophore. Note the large penis in this mature male. Drawing from Rancurel and Okutani (1990).
Comments
This description is from Rancurel (1970) and Rancurel and Okutani (1990).Life History
A few growth stages were illustrated by Rancurel (1970).
Figure. Growth stages of O. meridiopacifica. A - Dorsal view, 21 mm ML. B - Dorsal view of squid, ventral view of mantle and fins, 57 mm ML. C - Outline drawings of dorsal mantle and fins of squid of various sizes. Drawings from Rancurel (1970).
Distribution
The type locality is 21°15'S, 155°11.5'E, Coral Sea, South Pacific. The known distribution is seen in the map below.
Figure. Distribution map of O. meridiopacifica, modified from Rancurel and Okutani, 1990. Triangles represent records from Rancurel 1970 and the dots represent squid examined by Rancurel and Okutani, 1990.
References
Kubodera, T., U. Piakowski, T. Okutani and M. R. Clarke. 1998 Taxonomy and zoogeography of the family Onychoteuthidae. Smiths. Contr. to Zoology, No. 585: 277-291.
Rancurel, P. 1970. Les contenus stomacuax d’Alepisaurus ferox dans le Sud-ouest Pacifique (cephalopodes). Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., ser. Oceanogr., 8: 3-87.
Rancurel, P. and T. Okutani. 1990. A new species of squid genus Onychoteuthis from the Southwest Pacific. Venus, 49: 25-30.
Title Illustrations
| Scientific Name | Onychoteuthis meridiopacifica |
|---|---|
| Location | Australia |
| Specimen Condition | Preserved |
| Sex | Male |
| Life Cycle Stage | Mature |
| View | Dorsolateral |
| Size | 59mm ML |
| Copyright |
© 2007 K.S.R. Bolstad
|
| Scientific Name | Onychoteuthis meridiopacifica |
|---|---|
| Location | 21°15'S, 155°12'E |
| Reference | Kubodera, T., U. Piakowski, T. Okutani and M. R. Clarke. 1998 Taxonomy and zoogeography of the family Onychoteuthidae. Smiths. Contr. to Zoology, No. 585: 277-291. |
| Specimen Condition | Dead Specimen |
| View | Ventral |
| Size | 61.7 mm ML |
| Scientific Name | Onychoteuthis meridiopacifica |
|---|---|
| Reference | Rancurel, P. and T. Okutani. 1990. A new species of squid genus Onychoteuthis from the Southwest Pacific. Venus, 49: 25-30. |
| Specimen Condition | Dead Specimen |
| Sex | Male |
| View | Dorsal |
| Size | 62.5 mm ML |
| Type | Holotype |
| Copyright | © Venus |
About This Page
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA
University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
Tokyo University of Fisheries, Tokyo, Japan
K.S.R. Bolstad
Auckland University of Technology
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to K.S.R. Bolstad at
Page copyright © 2019 , , , and K.S.R. Bolstad
Page: Tree of Life
Onychoteuthis meridiopacifica .
Authored by
Michael Vecchione, Richard E. Young, Kotaro Tsuchiya, and K.S.R. Bolstad.
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- First online 23 June 2003
- Content changed 30 May 2008
Citing this page:
Vecchione, Michael, Richard E. Young, Kotaro Tsuchiya, and K.S.R. Bolstad. 2008. Onychoteuthis meridiopacifica . Version 30 May 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Onychoteuthis_meridiopacifica/19965/2008.05.30 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
