Ommastrephinae is a subfamily of squids under the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 ...

Description

Ommastrephinae includes the largest

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of squids belonging to the family Ommastrephidae, Humboldt squid ('' Dosidicus gigas'') which can grow to in mantle length (ML).Glaubrecht, M. & M.A. Salcedo-Vargas 2004. The Humboldt squid ''Dosidicus gigas'' (Orbigny, 1835): History of the Berlin specimen, with a reappraisal of other (bathy-)pelagic gigantic cephalopods (Mollusca, Ommastrephidae, Architeuthidae). ''Zoosystematics and Evolution'' 80(1): 53–69. It also contains the smallest squid species belonging to the family, the glass squid ('' Hyaloteuthis pelagica'') which has a mantle length of only up to .Nesis, K. N. 1982. Abridged key to the cephalopod mollusks of the world's ocean. 385,ii pp. Light and Food Industry Publishing House, Moscow. (In Russian.). Translated into English by B. S. Levitov, ed. by L. A. Burgess (1987), Cephalopods of the world. T. F. H. Publications, Neptune City, NJ, 351pp. Ommastrephinae are mostly

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or w ...

members of the family Ommastrephidae. Some species of the subfamily (notably '' Sthenoteuthis'' and '' Ommastrephes'') are known for their behavior of leaping out of the water (hence the common names 'flying squid').

Taxonomy

The name of the subfamily, like the family itself and one if its member genera, '' Ommastrephes'', comes from Greek ὄμμα ('eye') and ''-strephes'' ('rolling'). They were first described by H.J. Posselt in 1891.

List of genera

Eight species of squids are recognized under Ommastrephinae, divided among six genera. They are the following: *Genus '' Dosidicus'' **'' Dosidicus gigas'', Humboldt squid, jumbo flying squid or jumbo squid *Genus '' Eucleoteuthis'' **'' Eucleoteuthis luminosa'', striped squid or luminous flying squid *Genus '' Hyaloteuthis'' **'' Hyaloteuthis pelagica'', glass squid or glassy flying squid *Genus '' Ommastrephes'' **'' Ommastrephes bartramii'', neon flying squid or red flying squid *Genus '' Ornithoteuthis'' **'' Ornithoteuthis antillarum'', Atlantic bird squid **'' Ornithoteuthis volatilis'', shiny bird squid *Genus '' Sthenoteuthis'' **'' Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis'', purpleback squid or purpleback flying squid **'' Sthenoteuthis pteropus'', orangeback squid or orangeback flying squid

References

External links

Ommastrephinae
at th
Tree of Life web project
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7090284 Squid Gliding animals Protostome subfamilies