| Family: |
Ommastrephidae (flying squids and arrow squids), subfamily: Ommastrephinae |
| Max. size: |
400 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 3,000.0 g |
| Environment: |
pelagic; marine; depth range 0 - 1200 m |
| Distribution: |
Eastern Pacific. From south of Bering Strait to Gulf of Alaska, east to Gulf of California and south to Chile. Tropical to boreal. |
| Diagnosis: |
|
| Biology: |
Common total length: 50 to 80 cm. Caught by jigs (Ref. 275). Maximum total length is 4 m. Common length is about 50 to 80cm (Ref. 3722). Inhabits offshore areas of continental shelves from surface to depths of at least 1200 m. Found over the shelves and near shores during feeding. Adults undergo diel vertical migrations with a night lift to the 0-200 m water layer, going down at daytime to depths of 800-1,000 m and deeper (Ref. 2130). Upper temperature limits range from 30 to 32°C in equatorial areas, while deeper water temperature limits are not less than 4 to 4.5°C. Active predator, feeds actively at dusk and dawn. Commonly feeds on copepods, hyperiid amphipods, euphausiids, pelagic shrimps and red crabs (Pleuroncodes planipes), heteropod molluscs, squid, octopods and various fish. Exhibits cannibalism, but only on juvenile squids (Ref. 1982). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 05 May 2010 Ref. 123251)
|
| Threat to humans: |
|
| Country info: |
|
Source and more info: www.sealifebase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.
