Helicocranchia pfefferi
Banded piglet squid | |
---|---|
Ventral view of a specimen taken off Southern California (41 mm ML) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | |
Species: | H. pfefferi
|
Binomial name | |
Helicocranchia pfefferi Massy, 1907
|
Helicocranchia pfefferi, the banded piglet squid, is a small squid of the genus Helicocranchia. Adults of this species are mesopelaegic.
Physical characteristics
The average size of adult H. pfefferi is 4 inches in mantle length (ML). The body consists of a large funnel with small paddle-like fins. They have small tentacles above their eyes. The funnel does not have valves, but contains a dorsal pad with three papillae as organs.[citation needed] Paddle-shaped fins are attached to a part of the gladius. H. pfefferi has a single ocular photophore and does not have photophores at its arm tips.
Habitat
As paralarvae (<30 mm ML), they live near the surface of the oceans, between 100 m and 200 m deep. They descend to the mesopelagic zone as they mature, but do not exhibit a diel vertical migration pattern.[1]
References
- ^ Lu, C.C. & M.R. Clarke (1975). "Vertical Distribution of Cephalopods at 11° N 20° W in the North Atlantic". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 55 (2): 369–389. doi:10.1017/S0025315400016003.
- Young, R.E. & K.M. Mangold (1922-2003). 2006. Helicocranchia Massy, 1907. Version 16 July 2006 (under construction). In: The Tree of Life Web Project.
External links
- "CephBase: Helicocranchia pfefferi". Archived from the original on 2005-08-17.
- Images of Helicocranchia from the SERPENT Project
- Blog post with lots of information