''Enoploteuthis'' is a genus of

squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...

in the family

Enoploteuthidae Enoploteuthidae is a family of squid comprising approximately 40 species in four genera. Most species have a mantle length ranging from . Hooks are present on all arms and tentacles. The family is best known for the large array of photopho ...

, being the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...

. ''Enoploteuthis'' is a genus with a relatively high number of species, most of which were described in the late 20th and early 21st century. They have been collected during exploratory

trawling Trawling is an industrial method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch di ...

in the

mesopelagic The mesopelagic zone (Greek language, Greek μέσον, middle), also known as the middle pelagic or twilight zone, is the part of the pelagic zone that lies between the photic epipelagic and the aphotic bathypelagic zones. It is defined by light ...

zone. They are an important food source for fishes and

toothed whales The toothed whales (also called odontocetes, systematic name Odontoceti) are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales with teeth, such as beaked whales and the sperm whales. 73 species of toothed whales are ...

but they are of little commercial value, except for '' Enoploteuthis chunii'' which is caught as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

in the Japanese fishery for '' Watasenia scintillans''. Many species are diel migrants, spending the day at depth and moving up the water column at night to feed.

Description

The species of ''Enoploteuthis'' are most easily recognised by having a larger "tail" (trailing part of the mantle) when compared to the other genera in the Enoploteuthidae. The tail's size is emphasized by not having the fins extending along its sides. In related genera there is a narrow extension of the fins along the tail. Other characteristics include the presence of suckers on the distal portion of

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

IV where there at no

photophore A photophore is a specialized anatomical structure found in a variety of organisms that emits light through the process of boluminescence. This light may be produced endogenously by the organism itself (symbiotic) or generated through a mut ...

s present; the

tentacular club All cephalopods possess flexible limbs extending from their heads and surrounding their cephalopod beak, beaks. These appendages, which function as muscular hydrostats, have been variously termed arms, legs or tentacles. Description In ...

has two rows of hooks and no marginal suckers; on the buccal crown there are typical

chromatophore Chromatophores are cells that produce color, of which many types are pigment-containing cells, or groups of cells, found in a wide range of animals including amphibians, fish, reptiles, crustaceans and cephalopod A cephalopod is any member o ...

s on the aboral surface but on the oral surface there may be some light skin pigmentation. They have 9–10 photophores on the eye and they have complex photophores in the skin. In the females the

Spermatangia A gametangium (: gametangia) is a sex organ or cell in which gametes are produced that is found in many multicellular protists, algae, fungi, and the gametophytes of plants. In contrast to gametogenesis in animals, a gametangium is a haploid stru ...

receptacles are at the posterior junction of muscles used to retract the funnel and the muscles which retract the head. ''Enoploteuthis'' differs from other genera of the Enoploteuthidae in having two rather than three types of photophores in its

integument In biology, an integument is the tissue surrounding an organism's body or an organ within, such as skin, a husk, Exoskeleton, shell, germ or Peel (fruit), rind. Etymology The term is derived from ''integumentum'', which is Latin for "a coverin ...

and these are on the

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

areas of the head, funnel and mantle. All species of ''Enoploteuthis'' which have been studied have the most complex type of photophore and seems to be a distinctive characteristic of this genus. ''Enoploteuthis'' contains the largest species in the family, attaining a mantle length of 130mm.

Species

The following valid species are currently recognised: *'' Enoploteuthis leptura'' (Leach, 1817) *'' Enoploteuthis magnoceani'' Nesis, 1982 *'' Enoploteuthis obliqua'' Burgess, 1982 *'' Enoploteuthis octolineata'' Burgess, 1982 *'' Enoploteuthis reticulata'' Rancurel, 1970 *'' Enoploteuthis anapsis''

Roper Roper is a craftsman who makes ropes; a ropemaker. It may also refer to: Places *Roper, North Carolina, USA *Roper River, Northern Territory, Australia People * Roper (surname) Other *'' Roper v. Simmons'', a decision of the United States Su ...

, 1964 *'' Enoploteuthis chunii'' Ishikawa, 1914 *'' Enoploteuthis galaxias'' Berry, 1918 *'' Enoploteuthis higginsi'' Burgess, 1982 *'' Enoploteuthis jonesi'' Burgess, 1982 *'' Enoploteuthis semilineata'' Alexeyev, 1994 These species are sometimes divided into two subgenera ''Enoploteuthis'' and ''Paraenoploteuthis''.

References

{{Authority control Enoploteuthidae Cephalopod genera Bioluminescent molluscs