Loligo forbesii
| Loligo forbesii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Teuthida |
| Family: | Loliginidae |
| Genus: | Loligo |
| Species: | L. forbesii |
| Binomial name | |
| Loligo forbesii Steenstrup, 1856 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Loligo forbesii, also known as the Veined Squid or Long-finned Squid, is a commercially important species of squid in the family Loliginidae.
Contents |
[edit] Description
Loligo forbesii is a long, slender squid growing up to 90 cm in length with the fins forming an elongate rhomboid in when viewed from above, the fins comprise two-thirds of the total body length. They are variable in colour and pink, red and brown are predominant. The vestigial shell is a thin, internal horny pen[2].
[edit] Distribution
Loligo forbesii can be found around the British Isles, the Mediterranean, and extends through the Red Sea towards the East African coast[3] and Atlantic Ocean south to the Gulf of Guinea. Within the Celtic Sea L. forbesii is one of the two most abundant cephalopods.[4]
[edit] Biology
They reside at depths of 10–500 m. Sexual maturity is reached from 11–14 months; the average life span is 1.5 years. The species congregates on the sea floor to mate, with females producing up to 100,000 eggs. Hatchlings are between 5 mm and 7 mm.[5] Their diet is mainly fish, smaller specimens feed mainly on sprats and sandeels but they will prey on other cephalopods[6] and cannibalism is not unknown[7]. The life-cycle of Loligo forbesi is annual, and there is a clear peak of spawning in waters off Scotland from January to March and recruitment of juveniles occurs mainly in the autumn. It is mainly a demersal species[8]. The breeding season of L. forbesi in Galician waters, runs from December through to May, but breeding is most intense from December to February[9].
[edit] Fisheries
Squid are distributed all round the United Kingdom, and are landed in small amounts at most ports. The largest catches are from south west Scotland, the Moray Firth, Rockall and Faroe. The squid catch fluctuates on an annual basis, since with such short lived species the population is very dependent on the success of a single breeding season. The squid fishery tends to be seasonal, coincident with the movement from deep water to inshore grounds. There is no dedicated squid fishery in the UK and most are caught as a bycatch by boats trawling for Whitefish (fisheries term) such as European seabass or Haddock[10].
[edit] References
- ^ "Synonyms of Loligo forbesii", SeaLifeBase. http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/slp/SynonymsList.php?accepted_name_code=ITS-82374&infraspecies_marker=&infraspecies=&genus=Loligo&species=forbesii, October 24, 2008.
- ^ Emily Wilson 2006. Loligo forbesi. Long finned squid. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
- ^ http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140270
- ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2011. Celtic Sea. eds. P.Saundry & C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC.
- ^ R.Taylor. 2002. "Loligo forbesii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 24, 2008 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Loligo_forbesii.
- ^ http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/Lforbesi.php
- ^ http://www.mendeley.com/research/size-selectivity-diet-loligo-forbesi-cephalopoda-loliginidae-14/
- ^ http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/55/1/14.full.pdf
- ^ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0165783694900957
- ^ www.fao.org/wairdocs/tan/x5948e/x5948e01.htm
