Getting to know some squids

Time for a treat!  The last post was about the ecological significance of retinal organization in coastal and oceanic squids.  The study I reviewed used 5 species of squid, and I thought it would be nice to take a moment to get to know the research subjects.

Euprymna morsei



This little guy is commonly known as a Mimika bobtail squid.  E. morsei is benthic (meaning bottom-dwelling,) and forages for crustaceans in sandy and muddy seafloors all around western Asia and Indonesia.

Sepioteuthis lessoniana



Also known as the bigfin reef squid, S. lessoniana is a coastal squid that is found throughout the South Asian and Australian coastlines.  In this video, we see a group performing courtship rituals and laying eggs.

Todarodes pacificus



Also known as the Japanese flying squid, this oceanic squid is an important fishery in the pacific.  I'm not sure where this video clip is from, but they sure are cute!

Eucleoteuthis luminosa

I could not find a video of this guy, but here's an image (by Michael Vecchione, originally uploaded on www.TOLweb.org.)  The distinctive feature of this squid is the photophores (which look white in this image,) especially the two long ones that run the length of the mantle.

Thysanoteuthis rhombus



T. rhombus (also called the diamondback squid) is a large squid that is found throughout the world.  This (slightly depressing) video shows two specimens in a tank.  Note the large, muscular fins on either side of the mantle.

Thanks, Youtube, for bringing squids to us all.