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Pickfordiateuthis Voss, 1953

Grass squid

Michael Vecchione
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The following four species have been described (one has not been named) in Pickfordiateuthis.
taxon links [down<--]Loliginidae Interpreting the tree
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Type species.-- Pickfordiateuths pulchella Voss, 1953, by monotypy.
Containing group: Loliginidae

Introduction

These are small (22 mm ML max.), muscular squids that occupy neritic waters often in association with small patch reefs and seagrass (Voss, 1953). In spite of the accessible habitat, the squid is rarely captured and little is known of its biology.

Brief diagnosis:

A loliginid ...

Characteristics

  1. Arms
    1. Suckers in two series.

  2. Tentacles
    1. Club suckers on manus in two series; suckers on dactylus in four series or in two series.
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      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Oral view of the tentacular club of P. pulchella, 22 mm ML, female, holotype, off Florida Keys. Drawing from Voss (1953).

  3. Head
    1. Buccal supports without suckers.

  4. Fins
    1. Fins subterminal.
    2. Fins oval with free anterior and posterior lobes.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Left - Ventral view of the posterior mantle and fins of P. pulchella, 22 mm ML, holotype, preserved. Photograph by R. Young. Right - Dorsal view of the same specimen. Drawing modified from Voss (1953).

  5. Photophores
    1. Absent.

Comments

The general shape varies greatly between species. P. pulchella is broad with relatively large arms and fins; P. bayeri and P. vossi are slender with small arms and fins. The latter two look look much like a young Doryteuthis.

Brakoniecki (1996) submerged the family Pickfordiateuthidae into the Loliginidae.

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Figure. Dorsal view of P. bayeri in a shipboard aquarium.

Other Names for Pickfordiateuthis Voss, 1953

References

Brakoniecki, T. F. 1996. A revision of the genus Pickfordiateuthis Voss, 1953 (Cephalopoda; Myopsida). Bull. Mar. Sci. 58: 9-28.

Roper, C.F.E. and M. Vecchione. 2001. Pickfordiateuthis bayeri n. sp., a new species of squid (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) from the western North Atlantic Ocean discovered by submersible. Bull. Biol. Soc. Wash. 10:301-310.

Voss, G. L. 1953. A new family, genus and species of myopsid squid from the Florida keys. Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Carib. 2: 602-609.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Pickfordiateuthis pulchella
Location off Florida
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Copyright © 1996
About This Page


National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA

Page: Tree of Life Pickfordiateuthis Voss, 1953. Grass squid. Authored by Michael Vecchione. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Vecchione, Michael. 2008. Pickfordiateuthis Voss, 1953. Grass squid. Version 04 March 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Pickfordiateuthis/19861/2008.03.04 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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