''Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii'', also known as the angel clubhook squid or simply angel squid, is a species of

squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

in the family

Onychoteuthidae The hooked squid, family Onychoteuthidae, currently comprise about 20–25 species (several known from only single life stages and thus unconfirmed), in six or seven genera. They range in mature mantle length from 7 cm to a suggested length ...

and the sole member of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Ancistroteuthis''. It grows to a

mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...

length of 30 cm.Roper C.F.E., M.J. Sweeney & C.E. Nauen (1984). ''Cephalopods of the world''. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy. It lives in the western

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

, subtropical and tropical eastern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and western north Atlantic Ocean. Its diet include mesopelagic fish and pelagic crustaceans. It is sometimes taken as bycatch by commercial fisheries, but is not a targeted species. Image:AncistrotYoung.jpg, Dorsal and ventral views of juvenile ''A. lichtensteinii'' (16 mm ML) Image:AncistrotNucFolds.jpg, Dorsal and lateral views of head and occipital folds (145 mm ML) Image:AncistroteuClub.jpg, Oral view of tentacular club (145 mm ML) Image:AncistroteuthisGladius.jpg, Ventral and enlarged side views of

gladius ''Gladius'' () is a Latin word meaning "sword" (of any type), but in its narrow sense it refers to the sword of ancient Roman foot soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those of the Greeks, called '' xiphe'' (plural; singular ''xi ...

(165 mm ML) Image:AncistroLichtBeaks.jpg, Upper (left) and lower (right) beaks (URL ca. 3 mm)

References

External links

Tree of Life web project: ''Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii''''Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii'': Description Continued
Squid Cephalopod genera Monotypic mollusc genera Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{squid-stub

References

Further reading

External links