Onychoteuthis prolata
K.S.R. Bolstad
Introduction
Onychoteuthis prolata was recently disambiguated from the O. banksii complex. Young and Harman (1987) described the paralarva (species B) from Hawaiian waters; later ontogenetic stages were formally described by Bolstad, Vecchione & Young in Bolstad (2008). The most distinctive feature of this species is the tentacle club, which is extremely long for an Onychoteuthis (35-40% ML).
Diagnosis
An Onychoteuthis species...
- with tentacle club length 35-40% ML.
- without spikes on the distal ventral hooks.
- with chromatophores along the ventral ridge on the oral surface of the tentacle stalk.
- with chromatophores on all portions of the mantle ventrally (no 'bald spot').
- without fleshy knobs on the distal margin of the arm suckers.
Characteristics
- Photophores
- Two circular intestinal photophores present. Anterior photophore 50-75% diameter of posterior photophore.
- Ocular photophore a long whitish patch on ventral surface of each eyeball.
- Measurements of holotype
- Mantle length - 135 mm
- Arm lengths - 53-71 mm
- Fin length - 81 mm
- Fin width - 89 mm
- Club length - 54 mm (left)
- Club hook numbers - 23
- Largest hooks - Hooks V5 and V6
- Tentacle club
- Length ~36% ML, with 20–23 long, robust, strongly recurved hooks.
- Distal-most ventral hook bases not produced into spike.
- Chromatophores present across oral face of tentacle stalk proximal to carpus and along oro-ventral tentacle stalk ridge (arrows in second image below).
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Onychoteuthis prolata. ©
Onychoteuthis prolata. Arrows indicate chromatophores present across oral face of tentacle stalk proximal to carpus and along oro-ventral tentacle stalk ridge. ©
References
Bolstad, K.S. 2008. Two new species and a review of the squid genus Onychoteuthis Lichtenstein, 1818 (Oegopsida: Onychoteuthidae) from the Pacific Ocean. Bulletin of Marine Science, 83: 481–529.
Young, R.E.; Harman, R.F. 1987. Descriptions of the larvae of three species of the Onychoteuthis banksii complex from Hawaiian waters. Veliger 29(3):313–321.
Title Illustrations
| Scientific Name | Onychoteuthis sp. B |
|---|---|
| Location | off Kona coast of Hawaii |
| Creator | Keiko Hiratsuka Moore, National Marine Fisheries Service |
| Specimen Condition | Preserved |
| Sex | Female |
| Life Cycle Stage | Subadult |
| View | Dorsal and Ventral |
| Size | 135 mm ML |
| Image Use |
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| Copyright |
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About This Page
K.S.R. Bolstad
Auckland University of Technology
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to K.S.R. Bolstad at
Page copyright © 2019 K.S.R. Bolstad
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Onychoteuthis prolata .
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- First online 23 December 2010
- Content changed 11 October 2015
Citing this page:
Bolstad, K.S.R. 2015. Onychoteuthis prolata . Version 11 October 2015 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Onychoteuthis_prolata/108201/2015.10.11 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
