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Doryteuthis Naef, 1912

Michael Vecchione and Richard E. Young
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Doryteuthis contains eight species placed into three subgenera one of which is unnamed.
taxon links [up-->]Doryteuthis (Amerigo) ocula [up-->]Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) roperi [up-->]Doryteuthis (subgenus undescribed) sanpaulensis [up-->]Doryteuthis (Amerigo) pealeii [up-->]Doryteuthis (Amerigo) opalescens [up-->]Doryteuthis (Amerigo) surinamensis [up-->]Doryteuthis (Amerigo) gahi [up-->]Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) plei [down<--]Loliginidae Interpreting the tree
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Type species. -- Loligo plei Blainville, 1823; species first mentioned and subsequent designation of Naef (1923:193)].
Containing group: Loliginidae

Introduction

Doryteuthis species are the common inshore squids of American waters. Several species (e.g., D. pealeii, D. opalescens) are targets of substantial fisheries. The genus is defined by geography and the absence of specific modifications that define other genera.

Brief diagnosis:

A loliginid ...

Characteristics

  1. Arms
    1. Hectocotylus:
      1. Ventral crest absent.
      2. Proximal suckers unmodified.
      3. Distal suckers of reduced size, sucker stalks elongated to form papillae in either dorsal or both dorsal and ventral series.

  2. Tentacles
    1. Tentacular clubs expanded, suckers in four series.

  3. Head
    1. Beaks: Descriptions can be found here: Lower beak; upper beak.

  4. Fins
    1. Fins extend to posterior tip of mantle.
      2. Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
      Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

      Figure. Dorsal view of D. (Doryteuthis) plei in an aquarium. Photograph by Roger Hanlon.

  5. Photophores
    1. Photophores absent.

  6. Viscera
    1. Eggs less than 4 mm.
    2. Spermatophore cement body short.

Comments

The genus is subdivided into three subgenera, two of which are named, D. (Doryteuthis) and D. (Amerigo). Species of D. (Doryteuthis) have the modified portion of the hectocotylized arm extending to the arm tip, and the edges of gladius vane are thickened, while in D. (Amerigo) neither of these conditions hold. Doryteuthis sanpaulensis does not belong in either of these subgenera and was considered by Vecchione et al. (2005) to be the sole recognized species in an undescribed subgenus.

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Figure. Oral view of the distal region of the hectocotylus of D. (Doryteuthis) plei, 105 mm ML, off S.E. USA, preserved. Photograph by R. Young.

Although we tend to think of squids as constantly swimming, D. (A.) pealeii is often observed sitting on the ocean floor or the bottom of an aquarium.

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Figure. Side view of D. (Amerigo) pealeii sitting on the substrate in an aquarium. Photograph by Clyde Roper.

Distribution

American waters of the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans.

References

Vecchione, M., E. Shea, S. Bussarawit, F. Anderson, D. Alexeyev, C.-C. Lu, T. Okutani, M. Roeleveld, C. Chotiyaputta, C. Roper, E. Jorgensen and N. Sukramongkol. 2005. Systematics of Indo-West Pacific loliginids. Phuket Mar. Biol. Cent. Res. Bull. 66: 23-26.

Title Illustrations
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Scientific Name Doryteuthis pealeii
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
View Dorsal
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
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About This Page


National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C. , USA


University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Michael Vecchione at

Page: Tree of Life Doryteuthis Naef, 1912. Authored by Michael Vecchione and Richard E. Young. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Vecchione, Michael and Richard E. Young. 2010. Doryteuthis Naef, 1912. Version 02 September 2010 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Doryteuthis/23877/2010.09.02 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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