Cephalopoda Glossary
Fins of decapodiforms very greatly in both length and width. Fin lengths range from over 100% of the ML to less than 10% of the ML. We arbitrarily define «long» fins as more than 75% of the ML and «short» fins as less than 25% of the ML. In the figure below, "A" has short fins and the others have long fins. Most squids have fins of intermediate size. Some squids (not shown) have fins posterior to the muscular mantle.
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Figure. Dorsal views of fins and mantles. A - Bathothauma lyromma (Fam. Cranchiidae), modified from Chun, 1910. B - Iridoteuthis iris (Fam. Sepiolidae), modified from Naef, 1921-23. C - Discoteuthis laciniosa (Fam. Cycloteuthidae), modified from Young and Roper, 1969. D - Sepia orbignyana (Fam. Sepiidae), modified from Naef, 1921-23. All views are dorsal.
References
Chun, C. 1910. Die Cephalopoden. Oegopsida. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Tiefsee Expedition auf dem Dampfer "Valdivia" 1898-1899, 18(1):1-401.
Naef, A. 1921-1923. Die Cephalopoden. Fauna e Flora del Golfo di Napoli, Monographie 35, Vol I, Parts I and II, Systematik, pp 1-863.
Young, R. E. and C. F. E. Roper (1969). A monograph of the Cephalopoda of the North Atlantic: The family Cycloteuthidae. Smithson. Contr. Zool., No. 5: 1-24.
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University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA
Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003)
Laboratoire Arago, Banyuls-Sur-Mer, France
Page copyright © 2001 , , and Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003)
Page: Tree of Life
Cephalopod Fin Length
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Richard E. Young, Michael Vecchione, and Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003).
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