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Abraliopsis felis (McGowan and Okutani 1968)

Kotaro Tsuchiya and Richard E. Young
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Containing group: Abraliopsis

Introduction

A. felis is the only cool-temperate species in the genus Abraliopsis. It is found in the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone and the California Current.

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Figure. Ventral view of A. felis, 41 mm ML. Drawing from Young (1972).

Characteristics

  1. Tentacle clubs
    1. Two series of hooks on manus; ventral hooks moderately larger (in a relative sense) than dorsal hooks.
    2. Carpal flap absent; aboral keel short, narrow.
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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 A. felis, 40 mm ML, off Southern California. Drawing from Young (1972).

  2. Arms
    1. Arms IV intermediate in lenght; ALI IV = 40-65.
    2. Arms with 12 to 22 hooks and 12-22 suckers (excl. arm IV).

  3. Hectocotylus
    1. Hectocotylus, right arm IV (occasionally both arms IV), with two subequal-sized offset flaps: proximal flap on ventral margin, distal flap on dorsal margin.
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      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Oral view of arms IV of A. felis, 41 mm ML, off Southern California. Note that unlike members of the subgenus Pfefferiteuthis, the left (lower) arm is unmodified. Drawing from Young (1972).

  4. Head
    1. Beaks: Descriptions can be found here: Lower beak; upper beak.

  5. Integumental Photophores
    1. Ventral mantle and head with scattered arrangement of integumental organs.

Comments

A. felis is the only species, with the possible exception of A. hoylei, characterized by having a scattered arrangement of integument photophores and lacking the carpal flap.

Behavior

The photograph below appears to show the tentacles of A. felis locked together while swimming but not attempting to catch prey. The feature of locking of tentacles together, unrelated to feeding, appears to be common among many oegopsid squids judging from MBARI photographs.
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Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Figure. Posterolateral view of A. felis taken in situ at 362 m from an ROV in Monterey Canyon. © 2013 MBARI.

Distribution

Vertical Distribution

In the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone, this species were occurred abundantly between 0-50m during night.

Geographical Distribution

A. felis is the only cool-temperate species in the genus Abraliopsis. Its distribution extends from the northern Northwest Pacific at 145° E along the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone, eastward to northwestern coast of America, and in the California Current southward to northern Baja California (Young, 1972).

References

Tsuchiya, K. 1993. Distribution and zoogeography of the family Enoploteuthidae in the Northwest Pacific. In: Okutani, T., O?Dor, R. K. and Kubodera, T. (eds.) 1993. Recent advances in fisheries biology (Tokai University Press. Tokyo). pp. 571-585.

Okutani, T. and McGowan, J.A. 1969. Systematics, Distribution, and abundance ofthe epiplanktonic squid (Cephalopoda, Decapoda) larvae of the California Current. Bull. Scripps Inst. Oceanogr., 14:1-90.

Young, R.E. 1972. The systematics and areal distribution of pelagic cephalopods from the sea off southern California. Smiths. Contr. Zool., 97:1-159.

Title Illustrations
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Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Abraliopsis felis
Location Monterey Bay Canyon, Northeast Pacific at 36.6?N, 122.1?W.
Comments Image courtesy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). You must obtain permission from MBARI to use this photo; please contact pressroom@mbari.org for further information
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
View Side
Copyright © 2011 MBARI
About This Page


Tokyo University of Fisheries, Tokyo, Japan

Richard E. Young
University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

Page: Tree of Life Abraliopsis felis (McGowan and Okutani 1968). Authored by Kotaro Tsuchiya and Richard E. Young. 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:

Tsuchiya, Kotaro and Richard E. Young. 2013. Abraliopsis felis (McGowan and Okutani 1968). Version 07 January 2013 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Abraliopsis_felis/19686/2013.01.07 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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