The neon flying squid (''Ommastrephes bartramii''), sometimes called the red flying squid, akaika, and red squid is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of large flying

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 ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Ommastrephidae Ommastrephidae is a family of squid containing three subfamilies, 11 genera, and over 20 species. They are widely distributed globally and are extensively fished for food. One species, ''Todarodes pacificus'', comprises around half of the world's ...

. They are found in subtropical and

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

oceanic waters globally. The genus contains bioluminescent species.

Taxonomy

''Ommastrephes bartramii'' belongs to the family

, subfamily Ommastrephinae. It was first described by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

naturalist,

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

, and artist

Charles Alexandre Lesueur Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1 January 1778 in Le Havre – 12 December 1846 in Le Havre) was a French naturalist, artist, and explorer. He was a prolific natural-history collector, gathering many type specimens in Australia, Southeast Asia, ...

in 1821.

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

s consider the separate spawning populations of ''Ommastrephes bartramii'' as subspecies. It was thought that ''Ommastrephes bartramii'' was the only species belonging to the

monospecific genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

''Ommastrephes'', but a 2020 study which used mitochondrial DNA to evaluate individuals across nearly the entire distributional range revealed that the genus is actually an

allopatric Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

cryptic

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

with four distinct species consistently identified. As a result of these results, in combination with morphological and metabolic information from the literature, three formerly synonymised names were resurrected: ''Ommastrephes brevimanus'', ''Ommastrephes caroli'', and ''Ommastrephes cylindraceus'', and revised distributional ranges were proposed for each species.

Description

''Ommastrephes bartramii'' are easily distinguishable by the presence of an elongated silver-colored band in the middle of the

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

side of the mantle. Adult males usually have a mantle length of , but can reach the maximum length of . Adult females are much larger, usually having a mantle length of around , with the maximum known length being . Ommastrephes_bartramii_(Neon_flying_squid),_Northern_Hawaiian_waters

Ommastrephes_bartramii_(Neon_flying_squid),_Northern_Hawaiian_waters

Their

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 ...

do not possess lateral membranes and have 9 to 27 suckers on the ventral sucker series and 10 to 25 suckers on the dorsal sucker series. The left and right third arms have protective membranes greater in width than the arm width. The

hectocotylus A hectocotylus (plural: ''hectocotyli'') is one of the arms of male cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda ( Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusive ...

develops from the left or right fourth arm.Young, Richard E. and Michael Vecchione. 2009. Ommastrephes Orbigny 1834. Ommastrephes bartramii (Lesueur 1821). Red squid. Version 29 November 2009 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Ommastrephes_bartramii/19947/2009.11.29 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/. Accessed January 24, 2011 Another distinguishing characteristic of ''O. bartramii'' is the presence of 4 to 7 toothed

sucker Sucker may refer to: General use * Lollipop or sucker, a type of confection * Sucker (slang), a slang term for a very gullible person * Hard candy ** Cough drop ** Mint (candy) Biology * Sucker (botany), a term for a shoot that arises undergrou ...

s on the

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

, near the nearest carpal suckers of the carpal locking apparatus. This is especially useful in differentiating it from the orangeback flying squid (''Sthenoteuthis pteropus'').

Photophore A photophore is a glandular organ that appears as luminous spots on various marine animals, including fish and cephalopods. The organ can be simple, or as complex as the human eye; equipped with lenses, shutters, color filters and reflectors, h ...

s are present but are small, irregular, and restricted to the ventral side of the mantle, head, and tentacles. Visceral photophores are absent.Young, Richard E. and Michael Vecchione. 2009. Ommastrephinae Posselt 1891. Version 29 November 2009 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Ommastrephinae/19941/2009.11.29 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/ Accessed January 24, 2011 Like other ommastrephids and onychoteuthids known as 'flying squid', neon flying squid are so named for their ability to shoot out of the water, much like

flying fish The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird ...

es. They sometimes unintentionally land on the decks of ships. This happens more frequently during rough weather or in the presence of predators in the vicinity, and it is presumed that this behavior is an instinctive response to threat. Flying squid have been observed to engage in behaviors that prolong the time it remains in the air, making it more akin to actual flight than just gliding.

Biologists A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...

, however, still do not fully understand the exact mechanisms by which the squid become airborne. Nevertheless, the phenomenon is known to happen quite frequently and at least one photographic evidence of ''Ommastrephes bartramii'' in flight exists.

Distribution and habitat

Neon flying squid are

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

, being found in subtropical and temperate waters of the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Atlantic 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 an ...

, and

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

s. They are rarely found in the

Mediterranean 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 th ...

. "Giant squids in the Aegean". ''Ethnos'', March 27, 2012. p. 22. At night, they are usually found feeding just beneath the surface near cold-water fronts, at depths of .DFO, 1999
Neon flying squid
DFO Science Stock Status Report C6-12 (1999) They descend to depths of during daytime, though they have been known to descend to depths of up to .Roper, C.F.E., M.J. Sweeney and C.E. Nauen 1984. ''Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species of interest to fisheries''. FAO Fisheries Synopsis (125) 3: 277 p. This movement pattern is known as

diel vertical migration Diel vertical migration (DVM), also known as diurnal vertical migration, is a pattern of movement used by some organisms, such as copepods, living in the ocean and in lakes. The word ''diel'' comes from the Latin ''dies'' day, and means a 24-ho ...

and is also exhibited by other oceanic organisms.

Ecology and biology

Life cycle

Neon flying squid are highly migratory. They have a lifespan of about one year, during which they complete a cyclical migration between their feeding and spawning grounds.McCrae, J. 1994. Oregon Developmental Species: other squid, neon flying squid (''Ommastrephes bartrami''). Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlif

Mating occurs when males (who usually achieve sexual maturity earlier in the season) pass spermatophores to the females. The female squid store them in the oral surface of their wikt:buccal, buccal membrane until they too become sexually mature later in the season and begin to

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...

. Spawning is continuous and not seasonal, occurring virtually throughout the year in intermittent spawning events. Each female spawns approximately 350,000 to 3.6 million eggs, depending on their size. Males and females are both presumed to die soon after.

Hatchling In oviparous biology, a hatchling is a newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird. A group of mammals called monotremes lay eggs, and their young are hatchlings as well. Fish Fish hatchlings generally do not receive parental care, similar ...

s are around long and grow rapidly, reaching a length of after a month. The

paralarvae Paralarvae (singular: ''paralarva'') are young cephalopods in the planktonic stages between hatchling and subadult. This stage differs from the larval stage of animals that undergo true metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological proces ...

migrate northwards toward the waters bordering subarctic regions during

summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, ...

and

autumn Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( S ...

. They are usually found feeding at a depth of from the surface. Maturing squid return to the spawning grounds to mate.

Diet and predators

Neon flying squid eat small

oceanic fish Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs ...

es (like

lanternfish Lanternfishes (or myctophids, from the Greek μυκτήρ ''myktḗr'', "nose" and ''ophis'', "serpent") are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represented ...

es and

saury The saury (''Cololabis adocetus'') is a species of fish (not to be confused with the Pacific saury, another species in the genus ''Cololabis'') which is a member of the family Scomberesocidae, or the saury family. It is widespread in the Eastern P ...

) and other squids. They are known to engage in

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...

to smaller members of their own species as well. They serve as

prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

to large fishes (like

swordfish Swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfi ...

marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to der ...

, and

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max le ...

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

s, and

marine mammals Marine mammals are aquatic mammals that rely on the ocean and other marine ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as seals, whales, manatees, sea otters and polar bears. They are an informal group, unified only by their r ...

. They are also fished commercially for human consumption.

References

External links

Ommastrephidae
at th
Tree of Life web project
with a photo taken of ''Ommastrephes bartramii'' in flight. *
Ommastrephes bartramii
' at th
Tree of Life web project
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2812306 Squid Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Molluscs of the Indian Ocean Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Marine molluscs of Africa Marine molluscs of Asia Marine molluscs of Europe Marine molluscs of North America Cephalopods of North America Cephalopods of South America Cephalopods described in 1821 Bioluminescent molluscs Taxa named by Charles Alexandre Lesueur