Abralia fasciolata Tsuchiya 1991

Introduction

A. fasciolata is of moderate size, males reaching, at least 27 mm ML and females 38 mm ML. It is very distinctive and easily recognized by its striped photophore arrangement on mantle. This species is similar to A. marisarabica in the mantle photophore arrangement, buccal lappet connectives and eye photophores, but is easily distinguishable by its larger mature size, and the larger number of integumental photophores on the mantle.

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Figure. Ventral/ventrolateral view of A. fasciolata, male, 24 mm ML, holotype. Photograph by R. Young.

Characteristics

1. Arms
   1. Buccal connectives: Buccal-support connectives attached to the dorsal side of Arm III (DDDD-type).
      
      

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      Figure. Oral view of the buccal crown of A. fasciolata, female, 34 mm ML, showing attachments of the buccal connectives. Note that the connective of arm III attaches dorsal to the first arm hook. Drawing from Tsuchiya (1991).

2. Tentacle clubs
   1. Two or three hooks on ventral side.
   2. Two rows of large suckers on dorsal side of manus.
   

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   Figure. Oral view of the tentacular club of A. fasciolata, male, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Drawing from Tsuchiya (1991).
   

3. Hectocotylus
   1. Right ventral arm of male hectocotylized.
   2. Hectocotylus with two very differently-sized flaps: large, bilobed proximal flap on ventral margin and small distal flap on dorsal margin.
   

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   Figure. Oral-dorsal view of the hectocotylus of A. fasciolata, male, Gulf  of Aqaba, Red Sea. Drawing from Tsuchiya (1991).

4. Eye Photophores
   1. Five silvery organs with three to five minute additional organs in between.
   

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   Figure. Ventral view of ocular photophores of A. fasciolata showing variations in arrangements, male, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Drawing from Tsuchiya (1991).

5. Integumental Photophores
   1. Ventral mantle with six broad longitudinally arranged stripes of integumental organs which become diffuse posteriorly.
   2. Ventral head with seven longitudinally arranged stripes of integumental organs; unpaired middle row is with few photophores.
      
      

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      Figure. Ventrolateral view of the head photophores of A. fasciolata, paratype, female, 34 mm ML. Drawing from Tsuchiya (1991).

6. Reproductive structures
   1. Spermatangia receptacles: Spermatrangia lie within a pocket inside the Dorsal-collar pocket called the Dorsal-collar pouch. See similar arrangement in A. similis.
      
      

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      Figure. Side view of A.fasciolata (possibly A. marisarabica), female, 30 mm ML, showing the location of the Dorsal-collar pouch.

Comment

This species is similar to A. marisarabica and A. dubia in its strange arrangement of buccal connectives and unusual eye photophores.

Nesis (1993) suggested this species is a synonym of the poorly known species, Abralia dubia (Adam, 1960).

Distribution

Geographical Distribution

References

Nesis, K. N. 1993. Cephalopods from the Saya de Malha Bank, Indian Ocean. Trans. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 128: 26-39. [In Russian with English summary]

Tsuchiya, K. 1991. Abralia fasciolata, a new species of enoploteuthid squid from the western Indian Ocean (Cephalopoda: Oegopsida). Bulletin of the National Science Museum, (series A) 17(2):69-79, 16 figures.