Heteroteuthis ryukyuensis
Tsunemi Kubodera and Richard E. Young
Introduction
H. ryukyuensis is described from two squid, one male (18 mm ML) and one female (17 mm ML), vomited by a captured fish (ruby snapper). It has some very unusual features and doesn't fit well into the genus Heteroteuthis. With more new species recently found in the subfamily, the generic boundaries have become increasingly hard to define.
The fish from which H. ryukyuensis came was caught off the northeast coast of Taiwan.
Characteristics
Figure. Ventral view of enlarged
sucker of left arm IV of male
H. ryukuensis. Compare photograph
with ventral view of Title photograph.
From Kubodera et al. (2009).
H. ryukyuensis shares the following features with species previously placed in the genus Heteroteuthis:
- Dorsal mantle and head not fused dorsally.
- Fins attached to the posterior half of mantle.
- Ventral shield, apparently, restricted to anteriorhalf of ventral mantle.
- Funnel/mantle locking apparatus with the funnel component having a simple, slightly curved groove.
- 2 or 3 enlarged suckers on arms III in male.
H. ryukyuensis differs in the following features from species previously placed in the genus Heteroteuthis:
- No sexual modifications (hectocotylization) of the right arm I and II in male.
- No bare tips to arms I and II of females.
- Enlarged suckers present on arms III of male but not "greatly" enlarged (ie 2-3 X diameter of adjacent suckers vs 4 X).
- Greatly enlarged sucker (20% of ML in width) on left arm IV in male; sucker with thick, long stalk.
- Tips of arms IV with suckers in 2 series.
- Web between arms I 30% arm length; web between other arms virtually absent ("not well developed").
Distribution
H. ryukyuensis was regurgitated by a ruby snapper Etelis coruscans caught in the Sakishima Archipelago at 24°15.34'N, 123°15.54'E at a depth of about 280 m.References
Kubodera, T. and T. Okutani. 2011. New additions of luminous bobtail squids to the Japanese cephalopod fauna (Sepiolida: Sepiolidae: Heteroteuthinae). Venus, 69 (3-4): 145-161.
Title Illustrations
| Scientific Name | Heteroteuthis ryukyuensis |
|---|---|
| Location | From fish stomach. Fish caught off Yonaguni Island, east of Taiwan. |
| Reference | Kubodera, T., T. Okutani and T. Kosuge. 2009. A new bobtail squid ex-pisce from Yonaguni Island, southwestern Japan (Cephalopoda: Sepiolidae). Venus, 67 (3-4): 1-6. |
| Specimen Condition | Preserved |
| Identified By | T. Kubodera |
| Sex | Male |
| Life Cycle Stage | Immature |
| View | Ventral and lateral |
| Size | 18 mm ML |
| Collection | National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo |
| Type | Holotype |
| Copyright |
©
|
About This Page
National Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan
University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Tsunemi Kubodera at
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Heteroteuthis ryukyuensis .
Authored by
Tsunemi Kubodera and Richard E. Young.
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- First online 21 January 2014
- Content changed 20 August 2019
Citing this page:
Kubodera, Tsunemi and Richard E. Young. 2019. Heteroteuthis ryukyuensis . Version 20 August 2019 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Heteroteuthis_ryukyuensis/149599/2019.08.20 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
