''Helicocranchia pfefferi'', the banded piglet squid, is a small

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 ...

of the genus '' Helicocranchia''. Adults of this species are

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 ...

Physical characteristics

The average size of adult ''H. pfefferi'' is in mantle length (ML). The body consists of a large

funnel A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its constructi ...

with small paddle-like fins. They have small

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s above their eyes. The funnel does not have valves, but contains a dorsal pad with three papillae as organs. Paddle-shaped fins are attached to a part of the

gladius ''Gladius'' () is a Latin word properly referring to the type of sword that was used by Ancient Rome, ancient Roman foot soldiers starting from the 3rd century BC and until the 3rd century AD. Linguistically, within Latin, the word also came t ...

. ''H. pfefferi'' has a single ocular

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 ...

and does not have photophores at its

arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between ...

tips.

Habitat

''H. pfefferi'' can be found in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

areas of the Atlantic Ocean. As

paralarva Coleoidea or Dibranchiata is one of the two subclasses of cephalopod molluscs containing all the various taxa popularly thought of as "soft-bodied" or "shell-less" (i.e. octopus, squid and cuttlefish). Unlike its extant sister group Nautiloidea ...

e (<30 mm ML), they live near the surface of the oceans, between 100 m and 200 m deep. They descend to the

mesopelagic zone The mesopelagic zone (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, and begins ...

as they mature, but exhibit a

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 adjective "diel" ( IPA: , ) comes from , and refers to a 24-hour ...

pattern.

Prey

Its diet resembles that of most squid: fish, shrimp, and squid.

References

* Young, R.E. & K.M. Mangold (1922-2003). 2006
''Helicocranchia'' Massy, 1907
Version 16 July 2006 (under construction). In: The Tree of Life Web Project.

External links

Images of ''Helicocranchia'' from the SERPENT Project

{{Squid-stub Taoniinae Cephalopods described in 1907 Taxa named by Annie Massy