The European flying squid (''Todarodes sagittatus'') is a species of squid from the continental slope and oceanic waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...
of the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Todarodes
''Todarodes'' is a genus of flying squid from the subfamily Todarodinae, of which it is the type genus. The genus contains five species which are partially allopatric but between them their distributions encompass most of the world's oceans a ...
'', the
type genus
In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name.
Zoological nomenclature
According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...
of the
subfamily Todarodinae
Todarodinae is a squid subfamily in the family Ommastrephidae.
Genera
* Genus '' Martialia''
** ''Martialia hyadesii'', sevenstar flying squid
* Genus ''Nototodarus''
** '' Nototodarus gouldi'', Gould's flying squid
** '' Nototodarus hawaiiensi ...
of the
pelagic squid family
Ommastrephidae
Ommastrephidae is a family of squid containing three subfamilies, 11 genera, and over 20 species. They are widely distributed globally and are extensively fished for food. One species, '' Todarodes pacificus'', comprises around half of the world ...
. It is a species which is targeted by some fisheries, although it is more often a
bycatch
Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...
.
Description
The European flying squid is a large species squid with a maximum reported size of 750mm measured by mantle length for an unsexed specimen, although this was probably
a female, the largest mantle length known for a male is 640 mm, and these animals commonly have mantle lengths of between 250mm and 350 mm. It has a slender, long and muscular
mantle with wide and strong fins, the length of the fins being equivalent to 45% of the mantle length,
[ and is just slightly wider than it is long, tapering to a point posteriorly.] The funnel groove has a foveola which does not have side pockets. The tentacular club
All cephalopods possess flexible limbs extending from their heads and surrounding their beaks. These appendages, which function as muscular hydrostats, have been variously termed arms, legs or tentacles.
Description
In the scientific l ...
is very long and extends over three quarters of the length of the contracted tentacle, the club's suckers are held on the elongated carpus in 10 to 12 pairs, the sucker rings of the medial manus suckers have 17 to 20 long pointed teeth; the suckers of the manus are arranged in four series of 14 to 18 rows; the suckers on the dactylus
The dactylus is the tip region of the tentacular club of cephalopods and of the leg of some crustaceans (see arthropod leg). In cephalopods, the dactylus is narrow and often characterized by the asymmetrical placement of suckers (i.e., the ve ...
are also arranged in 4 rows. The arm
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...
suckers have an enlarged central tooth, 7 to 9 regular teeth and have almost no small alternating teeth. There are no light organs on the viscera
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...
.[ The arms are slender and are more than double the length of the head.][ The fourth right arm is hectocotylised in males and has the terminal suckers modified into fleshy papillae. The body is dark purplish in colour.]
Distribution
The European flying squid is found in the eastern Atlantic from Greenland[ and Iceland to the Arctic waters of the Russian Federation,] in the lower Barents Sea
The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...
and Kara Sea
The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...
,[ to 13°S to the south of the ]Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in ...
and to about 40°W; its distribution also includes the North Sea,[ Mediterranean Sea] and the Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the ...
.[
]
Habitat and biology
The European flying squid is an oceanic, neritic
The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth.
From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminate ...
species of squid that can be found from the surface to depths in excess of 1000 metres and it has been taken in United Kingdom territorial waters at 4,595 m. It is occasionally recorded among the fauna of the seabed on the continental shelf or the upper continental slope
A continental margin is the outer edge of continental crust abutting oceanic crust under coastal waters. It is one of the three major zones of the ocean floor, the other two being deep-ocean basins and mid-ocean ridges. The continental margin ...
, for example off northwest Africa where it is commonly found between 350–700 metres.[
This species undertakes migrations for feeding and as it matures in the North Atlantic. Large schools appear offshore near southern Iceland, the ]Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
, Norway and sometimes Scotland in the early summer, and they stay in these areas until the onset of winter. The stranding of large numbers of European flying squid along nearby coastlines is relatively frequent in the summer months in these areas. With the arrival of winter, the squid move to deeper water further offshore where they spend the winter. The populations of the warmer seas off the northwestern African coast and in the western Mediterranean are more sedentary by comparison.[
The European flying squid is recorded in large numbers from March to May on the fishing grounds around Madeira, as well as in other areas of the eastern central Atlantic Ocean. Here the squid make ]ontogenetic
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the st ...
movements as well, from the continental shelf to the continental slope and deep waters. This species is also known to undertake daily vertical migrations being found near the sea bed or at depths during the day and moving up to the surface and near-surface waters at night, however they are caught at night in deeper waters indicating that a proportion of the population do not always undertake vertical migrations. Squids of this species may be found solitarily or in small groups but as their trophic migration progresses they form large schools on the continental shelves in the waters of the northern Atlantic and off northwest Africa.[
The sex ratio of the European flying squid almost always shows a preponderance of females and there are very few males captured. This appears to be mainly a result of ecological factors as the feeding grounds are sexually segregated and they only meet during spawning. The males may be sedentary, living most of their lives in the breeding areas where they may not participate in the daily vertical feeding movements and remain at depth. The males attain sexual maturity at a smaller size and younger age than the females. In general, the larger animals are found in the cooler areas of its distribution.][
In the European flying squid spawning is most likely to be continuous throughout the year on the continental slope, but there are distinct seasonal peaks in late winter or early spring in the northeastern Atlantic. In the Catalan Sea and the Balearic Islands of the western Mediterranean spawning peaks between September and November. The length of the ]spermatophore
A spermatophore or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass containing spermatozoa created by males of various animal species, especially salamanders and arthropods, and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during reproduction. Spermatophores ...
depends on the size of the males and on their geographic origin ; being relatively larger (48 to 54 mm) in the Catalan Sea than in the population off North Africa (20 to 29 mm). The female fecundity is high, and each bears up to several hundred thousand eggs, depending on the size of females. The females reduce their feeding activity before spawning, and their spawning is characterized by intermittent egg laying, with the numbers of eggs in each egg mass decreasing. Spawning occurs in depths between 200 m and 800 m) and apparently takes place near the bottom. The early life cycle is not well known but observations on juveniles over the mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge (a divergent or constructive plate boundary) located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. In the North Atlantic, the ridge separates the North ...
suggests that they are carried by currents and spread in the upper layers of the water column between 50–150 m), although they may go deeper in the daylight hours. Paralarvae
Paralarvae (singular: ''paralarva'') are young cephalopods in the planktonic stages between hatchling and subadult. This stage differs from the larval stage of animals that undergo true metamorphosis. Paralarvae have been observed only in mem ...
observed in coastal waters off North Africa have been observed to rise to the layer just below the surface over the continental slope to feed before migrating as juveniles to the continental shelf. Their growth rate is high, especially in their early life phases but slows as they attain sexual maturity. Their life cycle is thought to take just over a single year to complete, based on statolith analysis but the larger squid of over 500mm mantle length are thought to be 18 months to two years old.[
The European flying squid preys on fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. In the more northerly part of its range small Atlantic herring (''Clupea harenqus'') are the main prey as are ]Atlantic cod
The Atlantic cod (''Gadus morhua'') is a benthopelagic fish of the family Gadidae, widely consumed by humans. It is also commercially known as cod or codling.[blue whiting
The blue whiting (''Micromesistius poutassou'') one of the two species in the genus '' Micromesistius'' in the family Gadidae, which also contains cod, haddock, whiting, and pollock. It is common in the northeast Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to ...]
(''Micromesistius poutassou'') and herring as well as mesopelagic
The mesopelagic zone (Greek μέσον, middle), also known as the middle pelagic or twilight zone, is the part of the pelagic zone that lies between the photic epipelagic and the aphotic bathypelagic zones. It is defined by light, and begins ...
fish like ''Maurolicus muelleri
''Maurolicus muelleri'', commonly referred to as Mueller's pearlside, Mueller's bristle-mouth fish (not to be confused with the Gonostomatidae), or the silvery lightfish (not to be confused with the Phosichthyidae) is a marine hatchetfish in the ...
'', they also prey on pelagic crustaceans, and cephalopods with cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...
being quite frequent, with conspecifics being the second most common cephalopod prey.[ Abstract.] In the Macaronesian Islands
Macaronesia (Portuguese: ''Macaronésia,'' Spanish: ''Macaronesia'') is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic, off the coasts of Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of Atlantic oceanic islands ...
lanternfish
Lanternfishes (or myctophids, from the Greek μυκτήρ ''myktḗr'', "nose" and ''ophis'', "serpent") are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represent ...
were the most common and diverse prey, while off northern Norway the most common prey were fish, crustaceans and polychaetes
Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made ...
. Its predators include a variety of top Oceanic predators such as tuna
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...
, swordfish, sharks, seals and cetaceans. It is an important prey for some species of dolphin and this species along with '' Illex coindetii'' and ''Todaropsis eblanae
''Todaropsis eblanae'', also known as the lesser flying squid, is a species of short finned squid in the monotypic genus '' Todaropsis'' of the family Ommastrephidae.
Description
A relatively small squid between in length with a large, broad ...
'', are the most important intermediate host for Anisakid nematodes, which are intestinal parasites
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
.[
]
Fisheries
The European flying squid is predominantly taken as a bycatch of trawl fisheries for other species, but it is also fished by jigging
Jigging is the practice of fishing with a jig, a type of weighted fishing lure. A jig consists of a heavy metal (typically lead) sinker with an attached fish hook that is usually obscured inside a soft lure or feather-like decorations. Jigs ...
and purse seining
Seine fishing (or seine-haul fishing; ) is a method of fishing that employs a surrounding net, called a seine, that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. Seine nets can be de ...
. In the summer months it is targeted by commercial and recreational fishermen in southern Italy. The flesh is eaten either fresh or boiled, it preserved by commercial freezing, salting or drying. The species is also utilised as bait in fisheries for cod and halibut
Halibut is the common name for three flatfish in the genera '' Hippoglossus'' and ''Reinhardtius'' from the family of right-eye flounders and, in some regions, and less commonly, other species of large flatfish.
The word is derived from ''h ...
. The population is not subject to any specific management measures and the total population consists of several geographically distinct populations. The stocks vary over time as the environment varies. From the late 20th Century to the present the mean catch has been 3,000 tonnes, although this has varied widely, with the largest catches being recorded in 1981-1985. Off Europe the species is taken in association with other members of the family Ommastrephidae and much of the catch is not identified to species. Over the 25 years to 2014 no obvious trend in stocks could be identified and it is therefore assessed as least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1151502
Squid
Cephalopods described in 1798
Marine molluscs of Europe
Cephalopods of Europe