Neon flying squid
Encyclopedia
Ommastrephes bartramii is a species
of large flying squid
s in the family
Ommastrephidae
. They are found in subtropical and temperate
oceanic waters
globally.
, subfamily Ommastrephinae
. It is the only species belonging to the monospecific genus
Ommastrephes. It was first described by the French
naturalist
, explorer, and artist Charles Alexandre Lesueur
in 1821. Russia
n taxonomists consider the separate spawning populations of Ommastrephes bartramii as subspecies
.
. Adult males usually have a mantle length of 29 to 32 cm (0.951443569553806 to 1 ft), but can reach the maximum length of 45 cm (1.5 ft). Adult females are much larger, usually having a mantle length of around 50 cm (1.6 ft), with the maximum known length being 60 cm (2 ft).
Their arms
do not possess lateral membranes and have 9 to 27 suckers on the ventral sucker series and 10 to 25 suckers on the dorsal sucker series. The left and right third arms have protective membranes greater in width than the arm width. The hectocotylus
develops from the left or right fourth arm. Another distinguishing characteristic of O. bartramii is the presence of 4 to 7 toothed suckers on the tentacular club
, near the nearest carpal suckers of the carpal locking apparatus. This is especially useful in differentiating it from the orangeback flying squid (Sthenoteuthis pteropus).
Photophore
s are present but are small, irregular, and restricted to the ventral side of the mantle, head, and tentacles. Visceral photophores are absent.
Like other ommastrephids and onychoteuthids known as 'flying squids', neon flying squids are so named for their ability to shoot out of the water, much like flying fishes. They sometimes unintentionally land on the decks of ships. This happens more frequently during rough weather or in the presence of predators in the vicinity, and it is presumed that this behavior is an instinctive response to threat. Flying squids have been observed to engage in behaviors that prolong the time it remains in the air, making it more akin to actual flight than just gliding. Biologists, however, still do not fully understand the exact mechanisms by which the squids become airborne. Nevertheless, the phenomenon is known to happen quite frequently and at least one photographic evidence of Ommastrephes bartramii in flight exists.
, being found in subtropical and temperate waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean
s.
At night, they are usually found feeding just beneath the surface near cold-water front
s, at depths of 0 to 70 m (0 to 229.7 ft). They descend to depths of 300 to 700 m (984.3 to 2,296.6 ft) during daytime, though they have been known to descend to depths of up to 1490 m (4,888.5 ft). This movement pattern is known as Diel vertical migration
and is also exhibited by other oceanic organisms.
between their feeding and spawning grounds. Mating occurs when males (who usually achieve sexual maturity earlier in the season) pass spermatophores to the females. The female squids store them in the oral surface of their buccal
membrane until they too become sexually mature later in the season and begin to spawn
. Spawning is continuous and not seasonal, occurring virtually throughout the year in intermittent spawning events. Each female spawns approximately 350,000 to 3.6 million eggs, depending on their size. Males and females are both presumed to die soon after.
Hatchling
s are around 1 mm (0.0393700787401575 in) long and grow rapidly, reaching a length of 7 mm (0.275590551181102 in) after a month. The paralarvae migrate northwards toward the waters bordering subarctic
regions during summer
and autumn
. They are usually found feeding at a depth of 25 m (82 ft) from the surface. Maturing squids return to the spawning grounds to mate.
es (like lanternfish
es and saury
) and squids. They are known to engage in cannibalism
to smaller members of their own species as well. They serve as prey to large fishes (like swordfish
, marlin
, and tuna
), shark
s, and marine mammals. They are also fished
commercially for human consumption.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of large flying squid
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
s in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Ommastrephidae
Ommastrephidae
Ommastrephidae is a family of squid. It contains 3 subfamilies, 11 genera, and over 20 species.-External links:***...
. They are found in subtropical and temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
oceanic waters
Pelagic zone
Any water in a sea or lake that is not close to the bottom or near to the shore can be said to be in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means "open sea". The pelagic zone can be thought of in terms of an imaginary cylinder or water column that goes...
globally.
Taxonomy
Ommastrephes bartramii belongs to the family OmmastrephidaeOmmastrephidae
Ommastrephidae is a family of squid. It contains 3 subfamilies, 11 genera, and over 20 species.-External links:***...
, subfamily Ommastrephinae
Ommastrephinae
Ommastrephinae is a subfamily of squids under the family Ommastrephidae.-Description:Ommastrephinae includes the largest species of squids belonging to the family Ommastrephidae, Humboldt squid which can grow to in mantle length...
. It is the only species belonging to the monospecific genus
Monospecificity
In zoology, "monospecific" is an adjective describing a genus which contains only one known species. The term comes from the Greek prefix "μονο-" meaning "single" and Latin "species" meaning "kind" or "type". It is thus of hybrid origin....
Ommastrephes. It was first described by the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
, explorer, and artist Charles Alexandre Lesueur
Charles Alexandre Lesueur
Charles Alexandre Lesueur was a French naturalist, artist and explorer.Pictured here is the oil portrait by Charles Willson Peale of Charles-Alexandre Lesueur...
in 1821. Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n taxonomists consider the separate spawning populations of Ommastrephes bartramii as subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
.
Description
Ommastrephes bartramii are easily distinguishable by the presence of an elongated silver-colored band in the middle of the ventral side of the mantleMantle (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...
. Adult males usually have a mantle length of 29 to 32 cm (0.951443569553806 to 1 ft), but can reach the maximum length of 45 cm (1.5 ft). Adult females are much larger, usually having a mantle length of around 50 cm (1.6 ft), with the maximum known length being 60 cm (2 ft).
Their arms
Cephalopod arm
A cephalopod arm is distinct from a tentacle, though the terms are often used interchangeably.Generally, cephalopod arms have suckers along most of their length, as opposed to tentacles, which have suckers only near their ends. Octopuses have eight arms and no tentacles, while squid and cuttlefish...
do not possess lateral membranes and have 9 to 27 suckers on the ventral sucker series and 10 to 25 suckers on the dorsal sucker series. The left and right third arms have protective membranes greater in width than the arm width. The hectocotylus
Hectocotylus
A hectocotylus is one of the arms of the male of most kinds of cephalopods that is modified in various ways to effect the fertilization of the female's eggs. It is a specialized, extended muscular hydrostat used to store spermatophores, the male gametophore...
develops from the left or right fourth arm. Another distinguishing characteristic of O. bartramii is the presence of 4 to 7 toothed suckers on the tentacular club
Cephalopod arm
A cephalopod arm is distinct from a tentacle, though the terms are often used interchangeably.Generally, cephalopod arms have suckers along most of their length, as opposed to tentacles, which have suckers only near their ends. Octopuses have eight arms and no tentacles, while squid and cuttlefish...
, near the nearest carpal suckers of the carpal locking apparatus. This is especially useful in differentiating it from the orangeback flying squid (Sthenoteuthis pteropus).
Photophore
Photophore
A photophore is a light-emitting organ which appears as luminous spots on various marine animals, including fish and cephalopods. The organ can be simple, or as complex as the human eye; equipped with lenses, shutters, color filters and reflectors...
s are present but are small, irregular, and restricted to the ventral side of the mantle, head, and tentacles. Visceral photophores are absent.
Like other ommastrephids and onychoteuthids known as 'flying squids', neon flying squids are so named for their ability to shoot out of the water, much like flying fishes. They sometimes unintentionally land on the decks of ships. This happens more frequently during rough weather or in the presence of predators in the vicinity, and it is presumed that this behavior is an instinctive response to threat. Flying squids have been observed to engage in behaviors that prolong the time it remains in the air, making it more akin to actual flight than just gliding. Biologists, however, still do not fully understand the exact mechanisms by which the squids become airborne. Nevertheless, the phenomenon is known to happen quite frequently and at least one photographic evidence of Ommastrephes bartramii in flight exists.
Habitat
Neon flying squids are cosmopolitanCosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
, being found in subtropical and temperate waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
s.
At night, they are usually found feeding just beneath the surface near cold-water front
Thermohaline circulation
The term thermohaline circulation refers to a part of the large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes....
s, at depths of 0 to 70 m (0 to 229.7 ft). They descend to depths of 300 to 700 m (984.3 to 2,296.6 ft) during daytime, though they have been known to descend to depths of up to 1490 m (4,888.5 ft). This movement pattern is known as Diel vertical migration
Diel vertical migration
Diel vertical migration, also known as diurnal vertical migration, is a pattern of movement that some organisms living in the ocean and in lakes undertake each day. Usually organisms move up to the epipelagic zone at night and return to the mesopelagic zone of the oceans or to the hypolimnion zone...
and is also exhibited by other oceanic organisms.
Life cycle
Neon flying squids are highly migratory. They have a lifespan of about one year, during which they complete a cyclical migrationAnimal migration
Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individuals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is a ubiquitous phenomenon, found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans. The trigger for the migration may be local...
between their feeding and spawning grounds. Mating occurs when males (who usually achieve sexual maturity earlier in the season) pass spermatophores to the females. The female squids store them in the oral surface of their buccal
Buccal
Buccal may refer to:* Mouth, a body cavity** Specifically the cheek* Buccal artery...
membrane until they too become sexually mature later in the season and begin to spawn
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
. Spawning is continuous and not seasonal, occurring virtually throughout the year in intermittent spawning events. Each female spawns approximately 350,000 to 3.6 million eggs, depending on their size. Males and females are both presumed to die soon after.
Hatchling
Hatchling
In oviparous biology, a hatchling is the newborn of animals that develop and emerge from within hard-shell eggs. The offspring of birds are often hatched naked and with their eyes closed. The hatchling relies totally on its parents for feeding and warmth. Hatchlings precede nestlings in the chick's...
s are around 1 mm (0.0393700787401575 in) long and grow rapidly, reaching a length of 7 mm (0.275590551181102 in) after a month. The paralarvae migrate northwards toward the waters bordering subarctic
Subarctic
The Subarctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic and covering much of Alaska, Canada, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, and northern Mongolia...
regions during summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
and autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
. They are usually found feeding at a depth of 25 m (82 ft) from the surface. Maturing squids return to the spawning grounds to mate.
Diet and predators
Neon flying squids eat small oceanic fishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
es (like lanternfish
Lanternfish
Cooper Lanternfishes are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represented by 246 species in 33 genera, and are found in oceans worldwide. They are aptly named after their conspicuous use of bioluminescence...
es and saury
Saury
Sauries are fish of the family Scomberesocidae. There are two genera, each containing two species. The name Scomberesocidae is derived from the Greek, skombros = tuna/mackerel, and esox = nursery of salmon....
) and squids. They are known to engage in cannibalism
Cannibalism (zoology)
In zoology, cannibalism is the act of one individual of a species consuming all or part of another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded for more than 1500 species...
to smaller members of their own species as well. They serve as prey to large fishes (like swordfish
Swordfish
Swordfish , also known as broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood...
, marlin
Marlin
Marlin, family Istiophoridae, are fish with an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long rigid dorsal fin, which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to derive from its resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike...
, and tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
), 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, and marine mammals. They are also fished
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
commercially for human consumption.
External links
- Ommastrephidae at the Tree of Life web project, with a photo taken of Ommastrephes bartramii in flight.
- Ommastrephes bartramii at the Tree of Life web project.