''Loligo'' 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 ...

and one of the most representative and widely distributed groups of myopsid squid. The genus was first described by

Jean Baptiste Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biologi ...

in 1798. However, the name had been used earlier than Lamarck ( Schneider, 1784;

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

) and might even have been used by Pliny. In the early 19th century, this generic name was often used as a grouping for all true squid. All three species of ''Loligo'' are caught by commercial fisheries, most abundantly by traditional trawling methods (mobile gear). In the United States of America, Longfin squid are federally regulated under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Management Plan. ''

Loligo vulgaris The European squid or common squid (''Loligo vulgaris'') is a large squid belonging to the family Loliginidae. It occurs abundantly in coastal waters from the North Sea to at least the west coast of Africa. This species lives from sea level to d ...

'' and others are noted for being attracted to lights at night; they can therefore be fished using different light-attraction methods. Commercial fishing is heavily regulated in the United States, and fishing using mobile gear is only permitted during daylight hours. However, the recreational fisherman is often found sitting by a light at the pier, happily jigging for squid with a rod and reel. ''Loligo'' is the oldest true squid genus known from

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

remains; statoliths assigned to the extinct species '' Loligo applegatei'' are known from the early

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

. In addition, a

pyritized Permineralization is a process of fossilization of bones and tissues in which mineral deposits form internal Casting, casts of organisms. Carried by water, these minerals fill the spaces within organic tissue. Because of the nature of the casts, p ...

imprint of a ''Loligo'' squid is known from the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

of Krasnodar, Russia, marking the first true squid known from a complete body fossil. The squid appears to have suffocated in

anoxic Anoxia means a total depletion in the level of oxygen, an extreme form of hypoxia or "low oxygen". The terms anoxia and hypoxia are used in various contexts: * Anoxic waters, sea water, fresh water or groundwater that are depleted of dissolved ox ...

bottom water while attempting to eat an extinct

cutlassfish The cutlassfishes are about 45 species of predatory ray-finned fish in the family Trichiuridae of the order Scombriformes found in seas throughout the world. Fish of this family are long, slender, and generally steely blue or silver in colour, ...

('' Anenchelum'').

Species

The recent classification of Vecchione et al. (2005) and the

Tree of Life Web Project The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is an Internet project providing information about the diversity and phylogeny of life on Earth. This collaborative peer reviewed project began in 1995, and is written by biologists from around the world. The s ...

(2010) recognises only three species within Loligo, many others having been split off in other loliginid genera. * ''

Loligo forbesii ''Loligo forbesii'' (sometimes erroneouslyBouchet, P. and S. Gofas. (2013)''Loligo forbesi'' Steenstrup, 1856.World Register of Marine Species. Accessed 5 June 2013. spelled ''forbesi''), known commonly as the veined squid and long-finned squid, ...

'', veined squid * '' Loligo reynaudii'', Cape Hope squid or chokka * ''

'', European squid

Synapomorphies

Unlike many genera that can be described by commonalities inherited exclusively from their common ancestor, the classification of a species as being in the genus ''Loligo'' is not based on positive discrimination. The only positive distinction is not based on any form of inheritance and has to do with its Eastern Atlantic distribution. Other than this, the grounds for grouping a squid in this taxon is exclusively based on its lacking of characteristics that would put it in another taxon. Thus all squid in ''Loligo'' have rhomboidal fins as adults, elongated mantles, fins whose length exceeds their breadth, and lack

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, but all other squid genera do as well.

Mating

Mating in this genus is aseasonal. Such breeding is referred to as continuous breeding. ''Loligo'' squid gather near the surface of the water and males frenzy for females. Insertion of a sperm sac into the female is done with the tentacles of a male. The female then lays the fertilized eggs in roughly twenty jelly-filled sacs, each containing 200-300 eggs. Hatching occurs after three to four weeks, and complete sexual maturation takes roughly three years.

Educational uses

Squid of the genus ''Loligo'' have widely been used in first year biology laboratories. Aside from being highly affordable, preserved and readily available for purchase online, the relative size of a specimen in this genus is perfect for laboratory use. Averaging at roughly 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 inches) in length, the squid is small enough to fit on a typical dissection tray while large enough to have very visible structures for easy identifiability.

Human consumption

Squid of genus ''Loligo'' are widely consumed by humans. In the United States, commercial fishing for squid is federally regulated and yearly quotas are set by NOAA. Even with all the squid caught and consumed by humans, it does not threaten the genus because of its members’ prolific breeding habits. ''Loligo'' squid are available for fishing all year round, within the limits of the federally set quotas, and this greatly increases their desirability for industrial fisheries. This squid, when cooked, is what is commonly called

calamari Squid is eaten in many cuisines; in English, the culinary name calamari is often used for squid dishes.''Oxford English Dictionary'', 3rd edition, 2002''s.v.''/ref> There are many ways to prepare and cook squid. Fried squid is common in the ...

References

# ↑ Vecchione, M., E. Shea, S. Bussarawit, F. Anderson, D. Alexeyev, C.-C. Lu, T. Okutani, M. Roeleveld, C. Chotiyaputta, C. Roper, E. Jorgensen & N. Sukramongkol. (2005). "Systematics of Indo-West Pacific loliginids." (PDF). Phuket Marine Biological Center Research Bulletin 66: 23–26. # ↑ Vecchione, M. & R.E. Young. (2010). Loliginidae Lesueur, 1821. The Tree of Life Web Project.

External links

* http://eol.org/pages/38585/overview * http://ladywildlife.com/animals/loligosquid.html * https://aqua.org/~/media/Files/Learn/Education%20Baltimore%20PDFs/Teacher%20Booklets/squid-lab-6-12.pdf * https://www.northernproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Loligo-Squid.pdf * http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23308249.2015.1026226 {{Taxonbar, from=Q2706095 Loliginidae Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Cephalopod genera