''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family

Loliginidae Loliginidae, commonly known as pencil squids, is an aquatic family of squid classified in the order Myopsida. Taxonomy The family Loliginidae was formerly classified in the order Teuthida. Taxonomic list The classification below follows V ...

that possess

photophores A photophore is a glandular organ that appears as luminous spots on various marine animals, including fish and cephalopods. The organ can be simple, or as complex as the human eye; equipped with lenses, shutters, color filters and reflectors, ...

(light-emitting organs) and all species in the genus have a pair of

photophore A photophore is a glandular organ that appears as luminous spots on various marine animals, including fish and cephalopods. The organ can be simple, or as complex as the human eye; equipped with lenses, shutters, color filters and reflectors, ...

organs on the ventral surface of their

ink sac An ink sac is an anatomical feature that is found in many cephalopod mollusks used to produce the defensive cephalopod ink. With the exception of nocturnal and very deep water cephalopods, all Coleoidea (squid, octopus and cuttlefish) which dwell ...

either side of their intestine. ''Uroteuthis'' species range in size between 3 cm to 100 cm (

mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...

length). As with all other members of the family

, they have a cornea that covers the lens of each eye, and have a

gladius ''Gladius'' () is a Latin word meaning "sword" (of any type), but in its narrow sense it refers to the sword of ancient Roman foot soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those of the Greeks, called '' xiphe'' (plural; singular ''xi ...

that extends the full length of the mantle and a gill that has a branchial canal. The type species for the genus is '' Uroteuthis bartschi'' described by Rehder in 1945.

Distribution and Range

The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are

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-illuminated ...

squids (i.e., they occupy waters over the continental shelves) leading to the common name ''inshore squid'' being used for many ''Uroteuthis'' species. They are disturbed widely throughout the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

and the Western

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, as well as the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

and the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

. The species within the genus are commercially important targets for large scale and artisanal fisheries.

Subdivisions

The genus ''Uroteuthis'' is subdivided into three subgenera, two of which are represented by a single species each. The designation of two species (''U. pickfordi'' and ''U. reesi'') to subgenera has yet to be accepted.
Following convention, where a species has been re-designated to the genus ''Uroteuthis'' from a different genus, the originating authority has been included in brackets. Common names have been included where they are known and are unique to a species. *Subgenus ''Uroteuthis'' **'' Uroteuthis bartschi'' Rehder, 1945: Bartsch's squid *subgenus ''Aesturariolus'' **''Uroteuthis (Aesturariolus) noctiluca'' (Lu, Roper and Tait, 1985): luminous bay squid *Subgenus ''Photololigo'' Natsukari, 1984 **''

Uroteuthis abulati ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Adam, 1955) **''

Uroteuthis arabica ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Ehrenberg, 1831) **''

Uroteuthis bengalensis ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Jothinayagam, 1987) **''

Uroteuthis chinensis ''Uroteuthis chinensis'', also known as the Hanchi (Korean:),Taiwanese squid (Mandarin Chinese:) or mitre squid, is a species of squid in the west Pacific Ocean, including the China Sea. Characteristics ''U. chinesis'' is a cephalopod which means ...

'' (Gray, 1849): mitre squid **''

Uroteuthis duvauceli ''Uroteuthis duvaucelii'', also known as the Indian Ocean Squid or Indian Squid, is an Indo-West Pacific species of squid with a wide range throughout the Indian Ocean to Malaysia and the South China Sea, and is also present in the Red Sea and ...

'' (Orbigny, 1835): Indian Ocean squid **''

Uroteuthis edulis ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Hoyle, 1885): swordtip squid **''

Uroteuthis robsoni ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Alexeyyev, 1992) **''

Uroteuthis sibogae ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Adam, 1954): Siboga squid **''

Uroteuthis singhalensis ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Ortmann, 1891): long barrel squid **''

Uroteuthis vossi ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Nesis, 1982) *Subgenus incertae sedis (i.e. uncertain) **''

Uroteuthis pickfordi ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Adam, 1954) **''

Uroteuthis reesi ''Uroteuthis'' is a genus of 14 species of common inshore squids of the Indo-West Pacific and is further subdivided into 3 subgenera. The members of the genus ''Uroteuthis'' are the only squids of the family Loliginidae that possess photophores ...

'' (Voss, 1962)

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3825341 Cephalopod genera Squid