Sandalops melancholicus

A taoniin...

• with tubular eyes as juvenile.
• with contiguous ocular photophores.
• with short, broad vanes of gladius with matching fins.
• without tubercules at funnel-mantle fusion.

Vertical distribution

This squid undergoes ontogenetic descent. As it reaches greater depths with increasing age, the morphology of the eye changes greatly (see Life History).

Figure. Chart of the vertical distribution of S. melancholicus from Hawaiian waters, taken with both opening/closing and open trawls. Circle with black filling- Night capture. Circle with white filling- Day capture. Circles represent the modal depth of the trawl regardless of trawl type. Bars with circles- Trawl fishing-range of open/closing trawls. Bars without circles- Depth range of oblique trawl (solid bar- night capture; dashed bar- day or twilight capture). Chart modified from Young (1975).

Geographical distribution

The type locality is off Tristan da Cunha Island, South Atlantic.

1. Tentacles
   1. Tentacular clubs with suckers only.
   2. Two series of suckers and pads on distal 1/2 of tentacular stalk.
      
      
2. Head
   
   1. Beaks: Descriptions can be found here: Lower beak; upper beak.
      
      
3. Funnel
   1. Funnel organ: Dorsal pad with two large triangular flaps.
   2. Funnel valve absent.  
      

      Figure. View of funnel organ of mature male Sandalops sp. a, 102 mm ML. drawing from Voss (1980, p. 387, fig. 6e).

4. Mantle
   1. Tubercles absent at funnel-mantle fusion.
      
      
5. Fins
   1. Fins short, oval to round.
   2. Posterior insertion of fins does not reach end of gladius (i.e. fins subterminal).
   3. Anterior insertion at broadest point on vanes of gladius (i.e., fins attach to posterolateral margins of lanceola).  
      

      Figure. Dorsal view of the fins and gladius of Sandalops sp. a, mature male, 102 mm ML. The fin/gladius arrangement in very useful in identifying this species. Drawing modified from Voss (1980, p. 387, fig. 6a).

6. Photophores
   1. Two ocular photophores (one large, one small) on each eye are contiguous.*
   2. Arm tip photophores absent.  
      

      Figure. Anteroventral view of the oclar photophores of S. melancholicus, Hawaiian waters. Photograph by R. Young.

*Unusual in family; found also in Liguriella.

Comments

The eyes of juveniles are tubular, a feature shared only with Taonius. Also, the short, broad vanes of the gladius (see drawing for character no. 5 above) are distinctive and of considerable help in identifying damaged squid. Characteristics are from Voss (1980).

Paralarvae are found in the upper few hundred meters of the ocean (epipelagic zone) (see Vertical Distribution) and have eyes that are laterally compressed and possess a "rostrum" (see photograph to the right). Both features aid in concealment of the eye which, along with the digestive gland complex, are opaque structures in an otherwise transparent squid. The generic and common names of this squid are drawn from the shape of the paralarval eye as seen in illustration below of the holotype from Chun, 1910.

In Hawaiian waters, at 5.6 mm ML, the paralarva has small clubs, with a single chromatophore on the club's aboral surface; the dorsal head and eyes have 3 chromatophores as does the ventral head and eyes (one chromatophore is hidden by the funnel). The mantle has five small chromatophores dorsally and two ventrally and a pair of large chromatophores near the posterior tip of the mantle.

Figure. S. melancholicus, paralarvae. Left - Dorsal and ventral views , 5.6 mm ML, Hawaiian waters. Note the small tentacular clubs and the sparse pigmentation. Drawing by R. young. Middle -Side view of the paralarval head of S. melancholicus, holotype, 11.5 mm ML. Drawing modified from Chun (1910). Right - Side view of the paralarval head of S. melancholicus, Hawaiian waters. Photograph by R. Young.

The juvenile develops tubular eyes during its occupancy of the upper mesopelagic (=twilight) zone. The head is tilted with respect to the body axis and the eyes apparently, in life, are directed vertically upward toward the brightest downwelling light. Two photophores conceal the ventral silhouette of each eye.

The subadult is found in lower mesopelagic depths and has nearly hemispherical eyes (Young, 1975).

Figure.S. melancholicus. Heads: Left - Side view of the head of a juvenile , Hawaiian waters, showing tubular eyes. Right - Side view of a subadult, Hawaiian waters, showing near-hemispherical eyes. Photographs by R. Young. 

The arms of the mature male are modified. They are broad proximally and have expanded protective membranes. Distally membranes are absent and suckers greatly reduced in size and in more than two series on arms II and III.

Figure. Dorsal view of a mature male S. melancholicus. Drawing from Voss, 1980, p. 387, fig. 6a.

Large subadult females are heavily pigmented and their tentacles are absent with only a slight scar indicating where the tentacles once were.

Uranoteuthis bilucifera (Lu and Clarke, 1974) is a junior synonym (Nesis, 1982).

Okeanos footage of Sandalops (1)

Okeanos footage of Sandalops (2)

Okeanos footage of Sandalops (3)