Heterololigo bleekeri (Keferstein, 1866)

Type species. -- Loligo bleekeri Keferstein, 1866 by original designation.

Introduction

H. bleekeri is one of the more common loliginids in Japan.

Diagnosis

A loliginid ...

• of moderately large size (to 40 cm ML) with fins in adults rhomboidal, longer than broad, not round (length <70% of ML); mantle elongate, pointed posteriorly; without photophores.
• with unusual hectocotylus.
• with a Northwest Pacific distribution.

Characteristics

1. Arms
1. Arms very short.
2. Arm suckers with blunt teeth around distal ring.
3. Hectocotylus:
1. Proximal suckers unmodified.
2. Ventral crest absent.
3. Distal suckers of reduced size and sucker stalks elongated to form papillae in dorsal series.
4. Dorsal series of papillae and trabeculae at distal tip form bicuspid lamelliform flaps separated from ventral series of suckers by serrated membrane.
image info

Figure. Oral view of the hectocotylus of H. bleekeri, ca. 300 mm ML, Sagami Bay. Drawing from Sasaki (1929).

image info

Figure. Oral view of the tip of the hectocotylus of H. bleekeri. Enlargement from drawing above.

2. Tentacles
1. Tentacular clubs narrow
2. Club suckers small, nearly uniform in size, in four series.
image info

Figure. Oral view of tentacular club of H. bleekeri, ca 300 mm ML, mature male, Sagami Bay. Drawing from Sasaki (1929).

3. Fins
1. Fins extend to posterior tip of mantle.
   
   
4. Photophores
1. Photophores absent.
   
   
5. Viscera
1. Eggs less than 4 mm.
2. Spermatophore cement body short

Distribution

Off Japan, excluding northern half of Hokkaido; off southern Korea.

References

Vecchione, M., E. Shea, S. Bussarawit, F. Anderson, D. Alexeyev, C.-C. Lu, T. Okutani, M. Roeleveld, C. Chotiyaputta, C. Roper, E. Jorgensen and N. Sukramongkol. 2005. Systematics of Indo-West Pacific loliginids. Phuket Mar. Biol. Cent. Res. Bull. 66: 23-26.