''Teuthowenia'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
glass squid
The family Cranchiidae comprises the approximately 60 species of glass squid, also known as cockatoo squid, bathyscaphoid squid, cranch squid, or simply cranchiids. The common name "glass squid" derives from the transparent bodies of most spe ...
in the subfamily
Taoniinae. Members of this genus are characterized by their
deep-sea
The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. Conditions within the deep sea are a combination of low tempe ...
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
, clear bodies, and ability to engorge themselves with
water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
to become larger when threatened. Each known
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
has a visible
digestive gland
The hepatopancreas, digestive gland or midgut gland is an organ of the digestive tract of arthropods and molluscs. It provides the functions which in mammals are provided separately by the liver and pancreas, including the production of digestive ...
, which serves a similar purpose as a
stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...
and
liver
The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...
.
The genus contains bioluminescent species.
It includes three species:
*''
Teuthowenia maculata''
(Leach, 1817) - found in the tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
*''
Teuthowenia megalops''
(Prosch, 1849) - found in the subarctic, temperate, and (rarely) subtropical waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean.
*''
Teuthowenia pellucida''
(Chun, 1910) - found throughout the oceans of the southern hemisphere.
References
External links
Tree of Life web project: ''Teuthowenia''
Taoniinae
Bioluminescent molluscs
Taxa named by Carl Chun
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