Whip-lash squid
Encyclopedia
The Mastigoteuthidae, also known as whip-lash squid, are a family of small deep-sea squid
. Approximately 20 known species in two genera are represented, with members found in both the mesopelagic
and bathypelagic zone of most oceans. Originally described by Verill in 1881, it was later lowered by Chun (1920) to a subfamily (Mastigoteuthinae) of the Chiroteuthidae
, which are also called whip-lash squid on occasion. However, Roper et al. (1969) raised it back to the family level, and this has not been changed since.
, to relatively gigantic sizes in the genus Idioteuthis
. However most are rather small, from 3–15 centimetres total mantle
length. Their most distinctive features are their extremely elongate tentacle
s—which retract into membranous lateral sheaths of the fourth (and largest) arm
s—and their very large ovate fins, which may occupy up to 80% of the mantle length in some species. It is from these 'whip-like' tentacles that their common name derives. Unlike most other squid, the club of the mastigoteuthid tentacle is not significantly (usually not at all) broader than the rest of the tentacle and is covered in very small suckers—in some species, invisible to the naked eye—which impart an extremely sticky property to the clubs, themselves answering for 70% or more of the tentacle's length in some species.
Many species also possess photophore
s (bioluminescent
organs) which may be located on either the body, the tentacular clubs, the surface of the eye, or the eyelid. These photophores have a "lens" of chromatophore
s, pigment cells which may allow the squid to modify the colour of the light produced by the photophores. The mantle of some species is adorned with conical or hemispherical tubercles. Most species have arm suckers that possess sharp or blunt conical teeth, which are either larger or present only on the distal side, however some species, such as Mastigoteuthis inermis
, have smooth sucker rings with no teeth at all. Coloration is typically a rich reddish brown.
Two species (Idioteuthis tyroi
and I. cordiformis
) are known to have greatly expanded tentacular clubs as paralarva
e and subadults.
and Mastigoteuthis magna
) are known to hover above the ocean bottom in a vertical orientation, the head pointing downward. The squid use their large fins to maintain this orientation and use both their extended tentacles as a pair of snares, held rigidly at a constant distance apart: this has been termed the "tuning fork" position. Prey items apparently consist primarily of benthic
crustacean
s.
Although mastigoteuthids possess ink
sacs (which would suggest forays into shallower, lit waters), all observations have been over the bottom in deep water. The squid seem to lack the ability of rapid jet propulsion and instead rely on their capable fins.
The question mark (?) indicates questionable placement within the genus. The specific arrangement of the species under Idioteuthis indicates 4 different subgroups under revision. I. famelica is now verified to be member of genus Mastigoteuthis.
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...
. Approximately 20 known species in two genera are represented, with members found in both the mesopelagic
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...
and bathypelagic zone of most oceans. Originally described by Verill in 1881, it was later lowered by Chun (1920) to a subfamily (Mastigoteuthinae) of the Chiroteuthidae
Chiroteuthidae
Chiroteuthids are deep-sea squid of the family Chiroteuthidae. They are generally small to medium in size, rather soft and gelatinous, and slow moving. They are found in most temperate and tropical oceans, but are known primarily from the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Indo-Pacific...
, which are also called whip-lash squid on occasion. However, Roper et al. (1969) raised it back to the family level, and this has not been changed since.
Description
Mastigoteuthids range in size from quite small species in the genus MastigoteuthisMastigoteuthis
Mastigoteuthis is a genus of whip-lash squid containing approximately 12 species. Some teuthologists consider Idioteuthis synonymous with this taxon.-Species:*Genus Mastigoteuthis**Mastigoteuthis agassizii...
, to relatively gigantic sizes in the genus Idioteuthis
Idioteuthis
Idioteuthis is a genus of whip-lash squid containing approximately seven species. Some teuthologists consider it synonymous with Mastigoteuthis.-Species:*Genus Idioteuthis**Idioteuthis cordiformis**Idioteuthis danae...
. However most are rather small, from 3–15 centimetres total 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. Their most distinctive features are their extremely elongate 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 retract into membranous lateral sheaths of the fourth (and largest) arm
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...
s—and their very large ovate fins, which may occupy up to 80% of the mantle length in some species. It is from these 'whip-like' tentacles that their common name derives. Unlike most other squid, the club of the mastigoteuthid tentacle is not significantly (usually not at all) broader than the rest of the tentacle and is covered in very small suckers—in some species, invisible to the naked eye—which impart an extremely sticky property to the clubs, themselves answering for 70% or more of the tentacle's length in some species.
Many species also possess 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 (bioluminescent
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
organs) which may be located on either the body, the tentacular clubs, the surface of the eye, or the eyelid. These photophores have a "lens" of chromatophore
Chromatophore
Chromatophores are pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells found in amphibians, fish, reptiles, crustaceans, and cephalopods. They are largely responsible for generating skin and eye colour in cold-blooded animals and are generated in the neural crest during embryonic development...
s, pigment cells which may allow the squid to modify the colour of the light produced by the photophores. The mantle of some species is adorned with conical or hemispherical tubercles. Most species have arm suckers that possess sharp or blunt conical teeth, which are either larger or present only on the distal side, however some species, such as Mastigoteuthis inermis
Mastigoteuthis inermis
Mastigoteuthis inermis is a species of whip-lash squid. Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione consider it to be a junior synonym of the widely distributed M. magna.-References:...
, have smooth sucker rings with no teeth at all. Coloration is typically a rich reddish brown.
Two species (Idioteuthis tyroi
Idioteuthis tyroi
Idioteuthis tyroi is a species of whip-lash squid. It is known from a single paralarva of 15 mm mantle length . The paralarva is unique in having expanded tentacular clubs, although few mastigoteuthids have described paralarvae.-References:...
and I. cordiformis
Idioteuthis cordiformis
Idioteuthis cordiformis is a species of whip-lash squid found in tropical regions of the west Pacific Ocean.-Description:Idioteuthis cordiformis is a large, deep water species growing up to one hundred centimetres long...
) are known to have greatly expanded tentacular clubs as paralarva
Paralarva
Paralarvae is the term used to describe the young planktonic stages of cephalopods, between hatchling and subadult. It is used to differentiate it from the term 'larva' used in animals which undergo true metamorphosis. They have been observed only on members of the orders Octopoda and Teuthida.The...
e and subadults.
Behaviour
Members of this family have scarcely been observed in life, but at least two species (Idioteuthis hjortiIdioteuthis hjorti
Idioteuthis hjorti is a species of whip-lash squid.-External links:*...
and Mastigoteuthis magna
Mastigoteuthis magna
Mastigoteuthis magna is a species of whip-lash squid, characterised by a lack of photophores. The skin is heavily pigmented a deep red by a numerous chromatophores.-References:...
) are known to hover above the ocean bottom in a vertical orientation, the head pointing downward. The squid use their large fins to maintain this orientation and use both their extended tentacles as a pair of snares, held rigidly at a constant distance apart: this has been termed the "tuning fork" position. Prey items apparently consist primarily of benthic
Benthos
Benthos is the community of organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. This community lives in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.Many organisms...
crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s.
Although mastigoteuthids possess ink
Ink
Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
sacs (which would suggest forays into shallower, lit waters), all observations have been over the bottom in deep water. The squid seem to lack the ability of rapid jet propulsion and instead rely on their capable fins.
Species
This family is taxonomically misunderstood. With many species represented by single, damaged, and juvenile specimens, this group is still creating controversy in the taxonomic community. Salcedo-Vargas and Okutani (1994) reclassified the family and eliminated the genus Echinoteuthis, added two subgenera, and reduced the number of species to eight. Three years later, after the careful examination of skin tubercles and photophores, Salcedo-Vargas eliminated his subgenera, and increased the number of species to 17 (Salcedo-Vargas, 1997).- Genus IdioteuthisIdioteuthisIdioteuthis is a genus of whip-lash squid containing approximately seven species. Some teuthologists consider it synonymous with Mastigoteuthis.-Species:*Genus Idioteuthis**Idioteuthis cordiformis**Idioteuthis danae...
- Idioteuthis latipinnaIdioteuthis latipinnaIdioteuthis latipinna is a species of whip-lash squid. It is the type species of the genus Idioteuthis. Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione consider I. latipinna to be a junior synonym of I. cordiformis.-References:...
- Idioteuthis cordiformisIdioteuthis cordiformisIdioteuthis cordiformis is a species of whip-lash squid found in tropical regions of the west Pacific Ocean.-Description:Idioteuthis cordiformis is a large, deep water species growing up to one hundred centimetres long...
- Idioteuthis hjortiIdioteuthis hjortiIdioteuthis hjorti is a species of whip-lash squid.-External links:*...
- Idioteuthis okutaniiIdioteuthis okutaniiIdioteuthis okutanii is a species of whip-lash squid. Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione consider I. okutanii to be a junior synonym of I. hjorti.-References:...
- ?Idioteuthis danaeIdioteuthis danaeIdioteuthis danae is a species of whip-lash squid. Known only from specimens of paralarvae, the species may be the juvenile form of M. atlantica.-References:...
- ?Idioteuthis famelicaIdioteuthis famelicaIdioteuthis famelica is a species of whip-lash squid.-External links:*...
- Idioteuthis tyroiIdioteuthis tyroiIdioteuthis tyroi is a species of whip-lash squid. It is known from a single paralarva of 15 mm mantle length . The paralarva is unique in having expanded tentacular clubs, although few mastigoteuthids have described paralarvae.-References:...
- Idioteuthis latipinna
- Genus MastigoteuthisMastigoteuthisMastigoteuthis is a genus of whip-lash squid containing approximately 12 species. Some teuthologists consider Idioteuthis synonymous with this taxon.-Species:*Genus Mastigoteuthis**Mastigoteuthis agassizii...
- Mastigoteuthis agassiziiMastigoteuthis agassiziiMastigoteuthis agassizii is a species of whip-lash squid. It is the type species of the genus.-References:*Verrill, A.E. 1881. Report on the Cephalopods, and on Some Additional Species Dredged by the U.S. Fish Commission Steamer "Fish Hawk", During the Season of 1880. Bulletin of the Museum of...
- Mastigoteuthis atlanticaMastigoteuthis atlanticaMastigoteuthis atlantica is a species of whip-lash squid.-References:*Joubin, L. 1933. Notes préliminaires sur les Céphalopodes des croisières du Dana . 4e Partie. Annales de l'Institut Océanographique 13: 1-49.-External links:...
- Mastigoteuthis dentataMastigoteuthis dentataMastigoteuthis dentata is a species of whip-lash squid.-External links:*...
- ? Mastigoteuthis flammeaMastigoteuthis flammeaMastigoteuthis flammea is a species of whip-lash squid. The placement of this species in the genus Mastigoteuthis is questionable.-References:...
- Mastigoteuthis glaukopsisMastigoteuthis glaukopsisMastigoteuthis glaukopsis is a species of whip-lash squid.-References:*Chun, C. 1910. Die Cephalopoden. Oegopsida. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Tiefsee Expedition auf dem Dampfer "Valdivia" 1898-1899 18: 1-401....
- Mastigoteuthis grimaldiiMastigoteuthis grimaldiiMastigoteuthis grimaldii is a species of whip-lash squid.-References:*Joubin, L. 1895. Contribution a l'étude des Céphalopodes de l'Atlantique Nord. Résultats des Campagnes scientifiques accomplies sur son yacht par Albert I Prince souverain de Monaco 9: 1-63.-External links:*...
- Mastigoteuthis inermisMastigoteuthis inermisMastigoteuthis inermis is a species of whip-lash squid. Richard E. Young and Michael Vecchione consider it to be a junior synonym of the widely distributed M. magna.-References:...
- Mastigoteuthis iseliniMastigoteuthis iseliniMastigoteuthis iselini is a species of whip-lash squid. Some authors treat it as a junior synonym of Mastigoteuthis atlantica....
- Mastigoteuthis magnaMastigoteuthis magnaMastigoteuthis magna is a species of whip-lash squid, characterised by a lack of photophores. The skin is heavily pigmented a deep red by a numerous chromatophores.-References:...
- Mastigoteuthis microlucens
- Mastigoteuthis psychrophilaMastigoteuthis psychrophilaMastigoteuthis psychrophila is a species of whip-lash squid. It was first described by Kir Nazimovich Nesis in 1977, based on four individuals found in Antarctic waters. The largest was 143 mm long. The squid's tentacles are 15 mm in diameter, with 0.15 mm diameter club suckers. Integumental...
- Mastigoteuthis pyrodesMastigoteuthis pyrodesMastigoteuthis pyrodes is a species of whip-lash squid.-References:*Young, R.E. 1972. The systematics and areal distribution of pelagic cephalopods from the seas off Southern California. Smithson. Contr. Zool. 97: 1-159.-External links:*...
- ? Mastigoteuthis schmidtiMastigoteuthis schmidtiMastigoteuthis schmidti is a species of whip-lash squid.-References:*Degner, E. 1925. Cephalopoda. Report on the Danish Oceanographical Expeditions 1908-10 to the Mediterranean and Adjacent Seas 2: 1-94.-External links:*...
- Mastigoteuthis agassizii
The question mark (?) indicates questionable placement within the genus. The specific arrangement of the species under Idioteuthis indicates 4 different subgroups under revision. I. famelica is now verified to be member of genus Mastigoteuthis.