Fire squid are species belonging to the family Pyroteuthidae. The family comprises two genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

. Species are diurnally mesopelagic

Mesopelagic

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...

, however migrate into surface waters during the night. The family is characterised by the tentacle

Tentacle

A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...

s, which have a permanent constriction and bend near the base; and photophores occurring on the tentacles, eyeballs and viscera. Members reach 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...

 lengths of 23-50 mm. Paralavae of the family are common around the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian Islands

The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...

, with up to 17% of collected specimens in the area belonging to Pyroteuthidae.

Species

• Genus Pterygioteuthis
  Pterygioteuthis
  Pterygioteuthis is a genus of squid in the family Pyroteuthidae. Members are differentiated from the genus Pyroteuthis due to size and head shape. The genus is characterised by the presence of a lidded photophore over each eye.-External links:*...
  
  
  • Pterygioteuthis gemmata
    Pterygioteuthis gemmata
    Pterygioteuthis gemmata is a species of squid in the family Pyroteuthidae.-External links:**...
    
    
  • Pterygioteuthis giardi
    Pterygioteuthis giardi
    Pterygioteuthis giardi is a species of squid in the family Pyroteuthidae. The Roundear Enope Squid and P. giardi hoylei are recognised as possible subspecies of P. giardi.-External links:**...
    
    
    • Pterygioteuthis giardi giardi, Roundear Enope Squid
    • Pterygioteuthis giardi hoylei
  • Pterygioteuthis microlampas
    Pterygioteuthis microlampas
    Pterygioteuthis microlampas is a species of squid in the family Pyroteuthidae. They occur from northern New Zealand oceans to the Hawaiian Islands, however they do not overlap with the species P. gemmata which lives in more southern waters. While there are numerous similarities between these two...
    
    
• Genus Pyroteuthis
  Pyroteuthis
  Pyroteuthis is a genus of squid in the family Pyroteuthidae. It is differentiated from the genus Pterygioteuthis by size, head shape and behaviour. Species within the genus are separated by the arrangement of tentacular photophores; the shape of the hectocotylus, and the shape of the hectocotylus...
  
  
  • Pyroteuthis addolux
    Pyroteuthis addolux
    Pyroteuthis addolux is a species of squid in the family Pyroteuthidae. It is distinguished from other members of the genus Pyroteuthis by the shape of photophores on the tentacles and the shape of the hectocotylus. The hectocotylus is located on arm IV, containing 10 proximity hooks, and 6–15...
    
    
  • Pyroteuthis margaritifera, Jewel Enope Squid
  • Pyroteuthis serrata
    Pyroteuthis serrata
    Pyroteuthis serrata is a species of squid in the family Pyroteuthidae.-External links:*...
    
    

External links

• Tree of Life web project: Pyroteuthidae