Kondakovia longimana
Encyclopedia
Kondakovia longimana, also known as the Giant Warty Squid or Longarm Octopus Squid, is a large species of hooked squid
. It attains a mantle
length of at least 85 cm and probably over 1.15 m. The largest complete specimen of this species, measuring 2.3 m in total length, was found in Antarctica in 2000. Sleeper sharks and porbeagle
s are among shark
s known to prey upon K. longimana, accounting for 21% and 19% of the cephalopod biomass consumed by each shark, respectively.
folds.
waters of the Southern Ocean
. Its range may be circumpolar and stretch as far north as South Georgia and the Tasman Sea
.
The type material of this species, consisting of three specimens caught at the surface and a depth of 50 m, was collected just north of the South Orkney Islands
and is deposited at the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University
.
Hooked squid
The family Onychoteuthidae currently comprises approximately 20–25 species , in 6 or 7 genera. They range in mature mantle length from 7 cm to a suggested length of 2 m for the largest member, the Robust Clubhook Squid...
. It attains a mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
length of at least 85 cm and probably over 1.15 m. The largest complete specimen of this species, measuring 2.3 m in total length, was found in Antarctica in 2000. Sleeper sharks and porbeagle
Porbeagle
The porbeagle is a species of mackerel shark in the family Lamnidae, distributed widely in the cold and temperate marine waters of the North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere. In the North Pacific, its ecological equivalent is the closely related salmon shark...
s are among shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s known to prey upon K. longimana, accounting for 21% and 19% of the cephalopod biomass consumed by each shark, respectively.
Description
K. longimana is characterised by the presence of 33 hooks and marginal suckers throughout the tentacular club during subadult years. The gladius of this species is not visible beneath the skin in the dorsal midline. K. longimana possesses three occipitalOcciput
The occiput is the anatomical term for the posterior portion of the head, in insects the posterior part of those head capsule.-Clinical significance:Trauma to the occiput can cause a basilar skull fracture....
folds.
Distribution
K. longimana occurs in epipelagic and mesopelagicMesopelagic
The mesopelagic is that part of the pelagic zone that extends from a depth of 200 to 1000 metres below the ocean surface. It lies between the photic epipelagic above and the aphotic bathypelagic below, where there is no light at all...
waters of the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
. Its range may be circumpolar and stretch as far north as South Georgia and the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
.
The type material of this species, consisting of three specimens caught at the surface and a depth of 50 m, was collected just north of the South Orkney Islands
South Orkney Islands
The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. They have a total area of about ....
and is deposited at the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
.
Further reading
- Jarre, A., M.R. Clarke & D. Pauly 1991. Re-examination of growth estimates in oceanic squids: the case of Kondakovia longimana (Onychoteuthidae). ICES Journal of Marine Science 48: 195–200.
- Lu, C.C. & R. Williams. 1994. Kondakovia longimana Filippova, 1972 (Cephalopoda: Onychoteuthidae) from the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean. Antarctic Science 6(2): 231–234.