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Alluroteuthis Odhner, 1923

Alluroteuthis antarcticus Odhner, 1923

Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Uwe Piatkowski
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Alluroteuthis contains a single species.
Containing group: Neoteuthidae

Introduction


Figure. Dorsal view of A. antarcticus, Antarctic waters
at 1400 m depth. ROV photograph provided by J. T. Copley

 

A. antarcticus is known only from Antarctic waters. It reaches size of 27 cm ML (Nesis, 1982).

Brief diagnosis:

A neoteuthid ...

Characteristics

  1. Arms
    1. In large individuals, suckers in middle of arms I-III with blunt hooks.

  2. Tentacles
    1. Distal manus with suckers greatly enlarged in medial two series.
    2. Large distal-manal suckers with ca. 60 pointed teeth on inner rings.
    3. Length of proximal manus about equal to length of distal manus.
    4. Club proximal locking-apparatus along dorsal margin of proximal manus and oral midline of tentacle stalk.
    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Oral view of tentacular club of A. antarcticus. Drawing from Roper, et al., 1969.

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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Oral view of tentacular club of A. antarcticus, preserved. Photograph by R. Young.

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

  4. Fins
    1. Length 35-40% of ML.

Comments

More details of the description can be found here.

Life History

Unlike larger squids, in juvenile A. antarcticus, the tentacles are very small compared to the arms.


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Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

Figure. Left - Dorsal, lateral, ventral and oral views of A. antarcticus, type specimen, 14.5 mm ML. Drawing from Odhner (1923). Right - Side view of A. antarcticus, 18 mm ML, NMNH #727521, Antarctic ocean, preserved. The tentacles are indicated by white arrows in the illustration at right. Photograph by R. Young.

The structure of the tentacle of the juvenile (right), however, looks similiar to that of the subadult.
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Figure. Oral view of tentacle of a juvenile of A. antarcticus, type specimen, 14.5 mm ML. Drawing from Odhner (1923).

Odhner (1923) suggested that Parateuthis tunicata Thiele, 1920, described from a paralarva taken in Antarctic waters, might be the young of his Alluroteuthis antarcticus based on similarities of the radula. Roper, et al. (1969) indicated that new specimens in their possession suggested that Odhner was correct. However, their study was never completed and the synonomy of the two species remains uncertain. If the synonomy is proven correct, Parateuthis tunicata, the older species, will be the proper name.

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Figure. Dorsal, ventral and lateral views of Parateuthis tunicata, 8 mm ML. Drawings from Thiele (1920).

Distribution

The type locality is: 63°-64°S, 45°-51°W in Antarctic waters, 0-2800 m depth.

A distribution map of this species is maintained by the British Antarctic Survey.

Other Names for Alluroteuthis antarcticus Odhner, 1923

References

Nesis, K. N. 1982/87. Abridged key to the cephalopod mollusks of the world's ocean. 385+ii pp. Light and Food Industry Publishing House, Moscow. (In Russian.). Translated into English by B. S. Levitov, ed. by L. A. Burgess (1987), Cephalopods of the world. T. F. H. Publications, Neptune City, NJ, 351pp.

Odhner, N.H. 1923. Die Cephalopoden. Zoological Results of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901-03, 1(4):1-7.

Roper, C. F. E., R. E. Young and G. L. Voss (1969). An illustrated key to the families of the order Teuthoidea. Smiths. contr. zool., 13:1-32.

Thiele, J. 1921. Die Cephalopoden der deutschen Südpolar-Expedition 1901-1903. Deutsche Südpolar-Expedition 1901-1903, 16(Zoology 8):433-465. [Published 1920]

Title Illustrations
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Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Alluroteuthis antarcticus
Location South Atlantic, just west of Kemp Seamount in the South Sandwich chain, ~59 deg 42' S ~28 deg 21' W and depth ~1400 m.
Comments Photograph from the Isis ROV operated by the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, England.
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Identified By Michael Vecchione
View Dorsolateral
Collector NERC (Natural Environment Research Council, U.K.) ChEsSo (Chemosynthetic Ecosystems of the Southern Ocean) programme, taken during RRS James Cook research cruise JC42 (Jan-Feb 2010)
Copyright © J. T. Copley
Scientific Name Alluroteuthis antarcticus
Reference Roper, C. F. E., R. E. Young and G. L. Voss (1969). An illustrated key to the families of the order Teuthoidea. Smiths. contr. zool., 13:1-32.
Size Unknown, relatively small
About This Page


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA


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

Uwe Piatkowski
Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften

Page: Tree of Life Alluroteuthis Odhner, 1923. Alluroteuthis antarcticus Odhner, 1923. Authored by Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Uwe Piatkowski. 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:

Young, Richard E., Michael Vecchione, and Uwe Piatkowski. 2016. Alluroteuthis Odhner, 1923. Alluroteuthis antarcticus Odhner, 1923. Version 29 August 2016 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Alluroteuthis_antarcticus/19925/2016.08.29 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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