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Walvisteuthis rancureli

Page authors: K.S.R. Bolstad, Richard E. Young, Tristan Strange

Walvisteuthis rancureli is a small squid; the maximum adult size recorded is a female of 150 mm ML (Bolstad, 2010).

Brief diagnosis:

A Walvisteuthis with ...

  • robust, strongly recurved club hooks, with curved necks.
  • longest club hooks ~15% club length.
  • up to 5 marginal club suckers in combined dorsal and ventral series.

Tentacles

  1. Tentacles robust; clubs ~38% ML (range: 33-48% ML. Carpus with 7-10 suckers. Manus with 24-27 hooks. Up to 5 marginal suckers present at 105 mm ML. Terminal pad with 8-11 suckers.
  2. Hooks robust, strongly curved in profile, with curved necks.Longest ventral hook (V5 or V6) ~3x length of dorsal counterpart and ~15% of club length at 105 mm ML or ~10% of club length at 35 mm ML. Ventral hook bases approximately symmetrical.

C.ran105fclub.jpg

Figure. Oral view of the tentacular club of W. rancureli, female, 105 mm ML. Drawing from Bolstad (2010).

C.ran105fv5.jpgC.ran105fv5sem.jpg

Figure. A large hook (V5) from the ventral hook series of the club of W. rancureli, female, 105 mm ML. Drawings - Slightly oblique profile view (left) and an oral view (right). Photograph - Scanning electron micrograph. All three images from Bolstad (2010).

Arms

  1. Arm formula II> or = III=IV>I. Arms II-IV 86% of ML. Arms with 70-90 large suckers at >45 mm ML

Head

  1. Head length ~20% of ML (range 16-25%), width ~ 25% ML.
  2. Radula: Rachidian tricuspid; 1st lateral tooth bicuspid, ~60% of rachidian height; 2nd lateral tooth unicuspid, ~125% of rachidian height; marginal tooth ~200% of rachidian height.
     

 

Radula.jpg

Figure. Scanning electron micrograph of the radula of W. rancureli, male, 41 mm ML.

 

Fins

    1. Broadly ovate; length ~42%of ML (range: 32-49% ML); width ~93" of ML (range: 70-100% ML).

 Photophores

      1. Photophores absent.

 Gladius

        1. Gladius visible dorsally through integument. Rostrum ventrally through posterior ~3% of ML.

Comments

The above description W. rancureli is taken from Bolstad (2010) which contains more details than presented here.

Bolstad, K. 2010. Systematics of the Onychoteuthidae Gray, 1847 (Cephalopoda: Oegopsida). Zootaxa 2696: 1–186.

Taxonomy

Superorder
Decapodiformes