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Family Mastigoteuthidae - whiplashs squids
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Class |
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Cephalopoda |
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No. of Genera in Ref. |
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Environment |
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Fresh : No |
Brackish : No |
Marine : Yes |
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Remark |
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Fins large (about 50% of ML) to very large (about 90% of ML) and in terminal position. Short tail present (of ten absent due to damage during capture). Arms IV longest, thickest and with expanded lateral membranes. Funnel locking apparatus oval, usually with knobs (tragus, antitragus) affecting the shape of the depression in the funnel component in different species; specific shape varies with species. The tentacles are elongate and whip-like with tentacular clubs that are little differentiated from the tentacular stalks except that they are covered with thousands of extremely small suckers in numerous (30 or more) irregular series. Light organs present on eye ball or eyelid and /or skin in tegument or absent. Weakly muscled and reddish in colour. Deep water pelagic and benthopelagic. The biology of all the species of this family is very poorly known. Some species have been observed from submersibles drifting just above the ocean floor and dangling tentacles within a few millimeters of the bottom, presumably, to capture copepods and other small components of the epibenthic zoo plankton. Vesiculate tissue in the squid, especially in the ventral arms, reduces negative buoyancy. Complex actions of large fins maintain the head-down posture inspite of the concentration of buoyant tissue at the anterior end. None of the species have interest to fisheries (Ref. 104052). |
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