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Histioteuthis pacifica (Voss 1962)

Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione
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Holotype 74 mm ML, female. Deposited at the USNM #57453.
Containing group: Histioteuthidae

Introduction

H. pacifica is one of the larger species of histioteuhids, reaching a ML in excess of 280 mm. It is known from a considerable number of squid, however, identification problems have caused confusion regarding which records are valid.

Characteristics

  1. Photophores
    1. Photophores of Basal Row on head in simple, uniform row; sawtooth absent. 
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Ventral view of the posterior region of head and anterior tip of funnel of H. pacifica, paratype, 33 mm ML, preserved. The row of prominent photophores is the Basal Row. Photograph by R. Young.

  2. Club suckers
    1. Suckers of 2 ventral-marginal rows of manus with broad, asymmetrical outer rings (photograph and drawing below).
    2. Largest median suckers of manus with 28-32 pointed teeth around entire margin (photograph and  drawing below).
      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. Left - Oral view of suckers from the third and fourth series from the ventral margin of the manus of the club of H. pacifica, holotype, preserved. Photograph by R. Young. Right - Oral view of largest club sucker (top) and ventral-marginal sucker below of H. pacifica. Drawings from Voss, 1969 (Figs. 17c,b).

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

    Figure. Oral view of suckers belonging to the ventral two sucker series series of the club of H. pacifica, holotype, 74 mm ML, female. Photograph of preserved squid by R. Young.

    1. Central suckers enlarged 1.5 times over marginal suckers.
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    Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    Figure. Oral view of tentacular club of H. pacifica, 74 mm ML, male, 25°S, 35°E. Drawing from Voss (1969).

Comments

More details of the description can be found here.

Species of the celetaria-group are characterized by:

  1. Head photophores:
    1. Type 1b pattern on head.
    2. Basal Row of head with 9 or 10 photophores.
    3. Right Basal Series of head absent.
    4. Arms IV with 3 longitudinal series on arm base (drawing below).
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      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

    5. Most species with separate group of 4-8 compound photophores on ends of arms IV (drawing above) (Voss, et al., 1998). Apparently this feature is absent in H. inermis.
    6. Compound photophores of large, uniform size and evenly spaced on anterior 2/3 of ventral mantle.
  2. Tubercles
    1. Absent.

The species differ in the following manner:

Character H. celetaria H. inermis H. pacifica H. sp. A
Club suckers
Asymmetrical outer
sucker rings in:
3 ventral-marginal
sucker series
No asymmetrical rings 2 ventral-marginal
sucker series
No asymmetrical rings
Size of medial
manal suckers:
Slightly larger than
marginal suckers
2 X marginal suckers 1.5 X marginal suckers Slightly larger than
marginal suckers
Large manal-sucker dentition: 12-13 teeth on distal margin 20-27 teeth on entire margin 28-32 teeth on entire margin 15-20 teeth on distal margin
Photophores
Single sawtooth in
Basal Row photophore pattern:
Yes No sawtooth No sawtooth Yes
Number of photophores in Basal Row: 9 10 9 9

With the exception of the analysis of head photophores and the inclusion of H. inermis in this species group, most of the information presented here is from Voss (1969) and Voss, et al . (1998)

Nomenclature

Voss, et al. (1998) consider this taxon as the subspecies H. celetaria pacifica.

Life History

Mature females are unknown. The largest immature female is 234 mm ML. Males mature between 60->280 mm ML. (Voss, et al., 1998)

Distribution

Geographical distribution

Type locality: off Dammi Island, Philippines. H. pacifica is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans (Voss, et al. (1998). However, with the recognition of a separate form in Hawaiian waters, the Central and Eastern Pacific records are questionable.

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

Figure. Distribution chart of H. pacifica. Chart modified from Voss, et al., 1998.

References

Voss, N. A. 1969. A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic: The family Histioteuthidae. Bull. Mar. Sci., 19: 713-867.

Voss, N.A., K. N. Nesis, P. G. Rodhouse. 1998. The cephalopod family Histioteuthidae (Oegopsida): Systematics, biology, and biogeography. Smithson. Contr. Zool., 586(2): 293-372.

Young, R. E. 1978. Vertical distribution and photosensitive vesicles of pelagic cephalopods from Hawaiian waters. Fish. Bull., 76: 583-615.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Histioteuthis pacifica
Location 25° 20''S, 35° 17''E
Comments preserved squid
Sex Male
View ventral view
Size 74 mm ML
Type holotype
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © 2000
Scientific Name Histioteuthis pacifica
Location 25° 20''S, 35° 17''E
Reference from Voss, N. A. 1969. A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic: The family Histioteuthidae. Bull. Mar. Sci. 19:713-867. printed with permission
Sex Male
View ventral
Size 74 mm ML
Copyright © 1969 Bulletin of Marine Science
About This Page
Drawings from Voss (1969) printed with the Permission of the Bulletin of Marine Science.


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA


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

Page: Tree of Life Histioteuthis pacifica (Voss 1962). Authored by Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione. 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. and Michael Vecchione. 2000. Histioteuthis pacifica (Voss 1962). Version 01 January 2000 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Histioteuthis_pacifica/19800/2000.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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