Loligo forbesii

Loligo forbesii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Teuthida
Family: Loliginidae
Genus: Loligo
Species: L. forbesii
Binomial name
Loligo forbesii
Steenstrup, 1857
Synonyms
  • Loligo fusus
    Risso, 1854
  • Loligo moulinsi
    Lafont, 1871[1]

Loligo forbesii (sometimes erroneously[2] spelled forbesi), known commonly as the veined squid and long-finned squid, is a commercially important species of squid in the family Loliginidae, the pencil squids.

Description

This squid grows up to 90 centimeters in mantle length. The long fins are roughly diamond-shaped and make up two thirds of the total length of the body. The color of the squid is variable, but is usually a shade of pink, red, or brown. The vestigial shell is a small, thin internal structure.[3]

Distribution

Loligo forbesii can be found in the seas around Europe, its range extending through the Red Sea toward the East African coast.[4] It is widespread in the Atlantic Ocean.[5] It is one of the most common cephalopods in the Celtic Sea.[6]

Biology

The squid lives at depths of 10 to 500 metres (33 to 1,640 ft). It attains sexual maturity at about one year old and lives 1 to 2 years, with a maximum life span of about 3 years. It generally only breeds once. The male delivers sperm into the mantle of the female using structures on a specialized tentacle. The female will spawn up to 100,000 eggs, which adhere to the substrate.[5] Peak spawning season is in January through March off of Scotland, with recruitment of juveniles occurring in the fall.[7] Off Galicia the breeding season lasts from December to May, with most mating occurring in December through February.[8]

The diet includes fish, polychaetes, crustaceans, and other cephalopods,[9] often members of its own species.[5]

Fisheries

This is one of the most common squid species fished in the United Kingdom.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Loligo forbesii. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. (ITIS).
  2. ↑ Bouchet, P. and S. Gofas. (2013). Loligo forbesi Steenstrup, 1856. World Register of Marine Species. Accessed 5 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Wilson, E. Loligo forbesi: Long finned squid. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 2006. Accessed 5 June 2013.
  4. ↑ Bouchet, P. (2013). Loligo forbesii Steenstrup, 1857. World Register of Marine Species. Accessed 5 June 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Taylor, R. 2002. Loligo forbesii. Animal Diversity Web. Accessed June 05, 2013.
  6. ↑ Hogan, C. M. (Lead Author) and P. Saundry (Topic Editor). Celtic Sea. In: Cleveland, C. J., Ed. Encyclopedia of Earth. Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington, DC. Published October 14, 2009, revised May 13, 2013, retrieved June 5, 2013.
  7. ↑ Pierce, G. J., et al. (1998). Distribution and abundance of the fished population of Loligo forbesi in Scottish waters: analysis of research cruise data. ICES Journal of Marine Science 55 14-33.
  8. ↑ Guerra, A. and F. Rocha. (1994). The life history of Loligo vulgaris and Loligo forbesi (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) in Galician waters (NW Spain). Fisheries Research 21(1–2) 43–69.
  9. ↑ Roper, C. F. E., et al. 1984. Loligo forbesi, Veined squid. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol 3. Cephalopods of the World. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125(3).
  10. ↑ Stroud, G. D. Squid. Torry Advisory Note No. 77. Torry Research Station. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. 2001.