''Grimalditeuthis bonplandi'' is a
squid
True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...
named after the
Grimaldi family, reigning house of
Monaco.
of Monaco was an amateur
teuthologist who pioneered the study of deep sea squids by collecting the 'precious regurgitations' of
sperm whale
The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...
s.
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
''bonplandi'' refers to the French scientist
Aimé Bonpland.
The squid was observed alive in the wild for the first time in 2005 in a study.
''Grimalditeuthis bonplandi'' is a bioluminescent species.
This species shows an interesting case of
aggressive mimicry, with the tips of the long tentacles having the appearance of a small harmless squid. It lures fish and other squids by dangling the tips of the tentacles very far away from its body, then quickly snatching the fooled prey into its death. Intact tentacles suspected to be from this species have been found inside the
longnose lancetfish
''Alepisaurus ferox'', the long snouted lancetfish, longnose lancetfish, or cannibal fish, is a species of lancetfish found in the ocean depths down to 1,830 m (6,000 ft). This species grows to in total length and a weight of .
It is ...
.
Distribution
This squid has been infrequently encountered, but it is believed to exist worldwide. It lives in the
mesopelagic and
bathypelagic
The bathypelagic zone or bathyal zone (from Greek βαθύς (bathýs), deep) is the part of the open ocean that extends from a depth of below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above, and the abyssopelagic below. The bathypelagic ...
zone at depths of 200–1500 m below
sea level.
Morphology
''G. bonplandis maximum
mantle length is 25 cm.
[ It differs from its family Chiroteuthidae by having a longer neck and a different body and fin shape. Its mantle locking apparatus is also fused. It is one of the many squids that is ]bioluminescent
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some Fungus, fungi, microorganisms including ...
. Its photophores are present only in the tips of the female squid's tentacles.
See also
*Anglerfish
The anglerfish are fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes (). They are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified luminescent fin ray (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure for other fish. The luminescence ...
*Alligator snapping turtle
The alligator snapping turtle (''Macrochelys temminckii'') is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is native to freshwater habitats in the United States. ''M. temminckii'' is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in ...
* False cleanerfish
* Spider-tailed horned viper
References
External links
Tree of Life web project: ''Grimalditeuthis bonplandi''
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15813044, from2=Q2707838
Squid
Cephalopod genera
Monotypic mollusc genera
Bioluminescent molluscs
