Selenoteuthis
Selenoteuthis scintillans
Moon Squid
Michael Vecchione
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Introduction
These are small squid reaching about 45 mm ML and known only from the tropical to subtropical North Atlantic.
Figure. S. scintillans, female, 35 mm ML. Photograph by M. Vecchione. Note the much smaller size of the photophore at the tip of the tail (arrow) compared to that of the male in the title photograph.
Brief diagnosis:
A lycoteuthin ...
- with enlarged photophore at tip of tail.
- with three tentacle photophores.
Characteristics
- Head
- Beaks: Descriptions can be found here: Lower beak; upper beak.
- Beaks: Descriptions can be found here: Lower beak; upper beak.
- Photophores.
- Five ventral ocular photophores in a straight line. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Figure. Ventral views of the eyeball of S. scintillans showing ocular photophores. Left - female. Right - Male. Drawings modified from Voss, (1962, p. 295-296).
- Two anal photophores, three abdominal photophores and three contiguous postero-abdominal photophores.
- Spherical organ on tip of each arms II and III in males. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Figure. Side view of an arm-tip photophore of S. scintillans on arm II. Drawing from Voss (1962, p. 296).
- Spherical tail organ, larger in males.
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Figure. Ventral view of adominal, postero-abdominal and tail photophores of S. scintillans. Photograph by M. Vecchione.
- Tentacles with three photophores: base of tentacle, mid-tentacle, base of carpus (Arocha, 2003)
- Five ventral ocular photophores in a straight line.
- Viscera
- Genitalia in males paired.
Comments
More details of the description can be found here.Life History
The Lycoteuthinae have five ocular photophores on each eye, the middle one of which is different in color and often size. In the paralarva this central photophore, by its larger size, at least, allows easy identification.
Figure. Ventral view of Selenoteuthis scintillans, paralarva, 3.5 mm ML, and its tentacular club Drawing from Voss (1958, via Voss and Stephen, 1992).
References
Voss, G. L. 1962. A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic. I. The Family Lycoteuthidae. Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Carib. 12: 264-305.
Title Illustrations
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| Scientific Name | Selenoteuthis scintillans |
|---|---|
| Location | Bahamas |
| Comments | collected by submersible |
| Sex | Male |
| Copyright | © 1996 M. Vecchione |
| Scientific Name | Selenoteuthis scintillans, Selenoteuthis scintillans (2) |
|---|---|
| Reference | from Voss, G. L. 1962. A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic. I. The Family Lycoteuthidae. Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Carib. 12:264-305. p. 295, 296, with permission |
| Sex | f, m (2) |
| View | ventral, dorsal (2) |
| Copyright | © 1962 Bulletin of Marine Science |
About This Page
Drawings by Voss (1962) printed with the Permission of the Bulletin of Marine Science.
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA
Page copyright © 2019
Page: Tree of Life
Selenoteuthis . Selenoteuthis scintillans . Moon Squid.
Authored by
Michael Vecchione.
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- Content changed 16 November 2016
Citing this page:
Vecchione, Michael. 2016. Selenoteuthis . Selenoteuthis scintillans . Moon Squid. Version 16 November 2016. http://tolweb.org/Selenoteuthis_scintillans/19734/2016.11.16 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
