Note

Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii: Description Continued

Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Kotaro Tsuchiya
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Figure. Dorsal view of A. lichtensteini, type B, 145 mm ML, preserved, 21°35'S, 02°00'W, USNM specimen. Photograph by R. Young.


  1. Tentacles
    1. Terminal pad of club with 16-17 (Kubodera, et al., 1998) or 15-18 (Pfeffer, 1912) small suckers.
    2. Club with double series of hooks; marginal suckers absent.
    3. Club with 19-24 hooks (Pfeffer, 1912), 20-21 hooks (Kubodera, et al., 1998).
    4. Carpal pad with 9-12 suckers (Pfeffer, 1912), 9-10 suckers (Kubodera, et al., 1998).
    5. Club length 30-40% of ML (Pfeffer, 1912), 30% of ML (Kubodera, et al., 1998).
    6. 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. Views of the club of A. lichtensteini type A. Top - Dorsal view, 110 mm ML, USNM 294756. Photograph by R. Young. Bottom - Oral view, 145 mm ML, Mediterranean Sea. Drawing from Pfeffer, 1912.

      Scanning electron micrographs of the club hooks can be found here.

  2. Arms
    1. Length 75% (Naef, 1921-23) or 40-53% (Kubodera, et al., 1998) or 67-75% (Pfeffer, 1912) of the ML.
    2. Arms subequal but slight differences give the formula 2>3>4>1 (Naef, 1921-23).
  3. Head
    1. Funnel groove with V-shape (see title photograph on first page).
    2. Beaks
      1. Beaks are very different from those of Onychoteuthis. The upper jaw has a long, slender rostrum; the jaw angle is rounded and obtuse. The lower beak has an accessory tooth (not visible in side view) and a lateral wall ridge (Naef, 1921-23).
      2. 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. Upper (left) and lower (right) beaks, A. lichtensteini, URL ca. 3 mm. Drawing from Naef, 1921-23.

    3. Radula
      1. The radula has a tricuspid rhachidian and a distinctly bicuspid lateral tooth 1.
      2. 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. Radula, A. lichtensteini. Drawing modified from Naef, 1921-23.

  4. Mantle
    1. Posteroventral mantle keel present.
  5. Fins
    1. Fins sagittate, attenuated posteriorly.
    2. Length 60-68% of ML (Pfeffer, 1912).
    3. Width 48-68% of ML (Pfeffer, 1912).
    4. 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 - Dorsal view of fins, A. lichtensteini type A, 110 mm ML, 20°27'N, 21°58'W, USNM 294756. Photograph by R. Young. Right - Dorsal view of fins, A. lichtensteini type B, 145 mm ML, preserved, 21°35'S, 02°00'W, USNM specimen. The photographs show the variation in the shape of the fins between two Atlantic Ocean squid. The squid on the right with the peculiar rhomboidal fin is the squid pictured in the title photograph of this page. Photograph by R. Young.

  6. Gladius
    1. Gladius not visible on dorsal side of mantle (i.e., mantle completely surrounds gladius).
    2. Thick midrib of rhachis present only in posterior half of gladius.
    3. Rostrum long (14-15% of ML) and laterally conpressed (Pfeffer, 1912), but more massive, less firm and more cartilagenous than in Onychoteuthis (Naef, 1921-23).
    4. Vanes of gladius very narrow or absent.
      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. Top - Ventral view of the gladius A. lichtensteini. Bottom - Enlarged side view of posterior end of same gladius , 165 mm ML, Mediterranean Sea. Drawing from Pfeffer, 1912.

References

Kubodera, T., U. Piakowski, T. Okutani and M. R. Clarke (1998). Taxonomy and zoogeography of the family Onychoteuthidae (Cephalopoda: Oegopsida). Smiths. Contr. to Zoology, no. 586: 277-291.

Naef, A. 1921-23. Cephalopoda. Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel. Monograph, no. 35. English translation: A. Mercado (1972). Israel Program for Scientific Translations Ltd., Jerusalem, Israel. 863pp., IPST Cat. No. 5110/1,2.

Pfeffer, G. 1912. Die Cephalopoden der Plankton-Expedition. Ergebnisse der Plankton-Expedition der Humboldt-Stiftung. 2: 1-815.

About This Page


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA


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


Tokyo University of Fisheries, Tokyo, Japan

Page: Tree of Life Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii: Description Continued Authored by Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Kotaro Tsuchiya. 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.

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