The little flying squid (''Todarodes pusillus'') 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 ...

, one of the arrow squids of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

Todarodes ''Todarodes'' is a genus of flying squid from the subfamily Todarodinae, of which it is the type genus. The genus contains five species which are partially allopatric but between them their distributions encompass most of the world's oceans and ...

, in the subfamily ''

Todarodinae Todarodinae is a squid subfamily in the family Ommastrephidae. Genera * Genus ''Martialia'' ** ''Martialia hyadesii'', sevenstar flying squid * Genus ''Nototodarus'' ** ''Nototodarus gouldi'', Gould's flying squid ** ''Nototodarus hawaiiensis'', ...

of the flying squid

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 ...

. It is a small species from the waters around northern Australia and Indonesia.

Description

The little flying squid is said to be dwarf species of flying squid compared to the other species of ''Todarodes'', the largest female recorded to date had a mantle length of 74mm and the largest male measured 68mm mantle. The maximum mantle length is not thought to exceed 100mm, compared to 500mm for the

Japanese flying squid The Japanese flying squid, Japanese common squid or Pacific flying squid, scientific name ''Todarodes pacificus'', is a squid of the family Ommastrephidae. This animal lives in the northern Pacific Ocean, in the area surrounding Japan, along th ...

. It also has relatively small fins which only have a length equivalent to 25 to 31% of the mantle length (35-40% in the Japanese flying squid). It has a cylindrical, muscular body, typical of related species, which tapers to a short, pointed tail. Its fourth right

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 t ...

bears a

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 ...

on the distal half and has 11-13 normal suckers on its basal portion, ventral

trabeculae A trabecula (plural trabeculae, from Latin for "small beam") is a small, often microscopic, tissue element in the form of a small beam, strut or rod that supports or anchors a framework of parts within a body or organ. A trabecula generally has ...

which are broadened and joined forming low serrated fan with approximately 20 pairs of trabeculae. The second and third arms on each side are longer than the first and fourth arms being slightly less than half of the mantle length. The largest arm suckers have 9-11 sharp different sized teeth on distal two thirds of their rings. The height of the protective membrane on the arms is uniform and it is not higher than that of the suckers. The

manus Manus may refer to: * Manus (anatomy), the zoological term for the distal portion of the forelimb of an animal (including the human hand) * ''Manus'' marriage, a type of marriage during Roman times Relating to locations around New Guinea * Man ...

of the tentacles has 6-8 sucker rows in four series and the rings of the medial suckers on the manus have 16-18 moderately large, subconical teeth which alternate with low plates and are around 2.5 times largers than the marginal suckers in diameter. On the tentacles the protective membranes extends to the carpal region, its height never exceeds the sucker height and it has weak supports.

Distribution

The little flying squid is found in northern Australia where it occurs in the regions of the continental shelf and upper

continental slope A continental margin is the outer edge of continental crust abutting oceanic crust under coastal waters. It is one of the three major zones of the ocean floor, the other two being deep-ocean basins and mid-ocean ridges. The continental marg ...

. Its distribution extends from the

Timor Sea The Timor Sea ( id, Laut Timor, pt, Mar de Timor, tet, Tasi Mane or ) is a relatively shallow sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, and to the south by Australia. The sea contains a number of reefs, ...

and along the eastern coast of Australia from the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian ma ...

south to waters off

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. It has also been recorded in a narrow band extending north from the Timor Sea through the

Indonesian archipelago * See also: Names of Indonesia , location = Southeast Asia and Oceania , waterbody = * Indian Ocean * Pacific Ocean , total_islands = ± 17,000–18,000 islands , major_islands = , area_km2 = 8,300,000 , area_footnotes = , rank = , length ...

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of t ...

in the southern Philippines.

Habitat and biology

The little flying squid's biology is not well known. All specimens caught to date have been caught at depths of between 78m and 357m where the water temperature at depths of 50m was greater than 23 °C and that at the surface could reach 29 °C in the summer. A single trawl has caught up to 54 individuals which suggests that this species forms schools. Any females caught which are larger than 60 mm mantle length have all been sexually mature, with eggs present in their

oviduct The oviduct in mammals, is the passageway from an ovary. In human females this is more usually known as the Fallopian tube or uterine tube. The eggs travel along the oviduct. These eggs will either be fertilized by spermatozoa to become a zygote, ...

s and all males with mantle lengths greater than 50mm bore mature

spermatophore A spermatophore or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass containing spermatozoa created by males of various animal species, especially salamanders and arthropods, and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during reproduction. Spermatophores ...

Taxonomy

The little flying squid has been considered to be a subspecies of the Japanese flying squid but distinct differences are evident between the two taxa. More analysis, both morphological and molecular, is required to clarify their relationships. There are specimens from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines which were described intermediate in some characters between the nominate form and the taxon treated here as ''Todarodes pusillus''. The smaller size and rapid gaining of sexual maturity in this taxa may be a result of living at higher temperatures than the related temperate form.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q61698343 Squid Molluscs described in 1988