Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) plei
Slender inshore squid
Michael Vecchione and Richard E. Young
Characteristics
- Mantle
- Mantle long, slender, cylindrical, the posterior end acutely pointed.
- Fins
- Fins rhomboid, their sides fairly straight.
- Gladius
- Gladius slender, feather-shaped.
- Ratio of greatest width of vane of gladius to greatest width of rachis 1.5 - 2.4.
- Edge of vane straight (often slightly curved in females), thick, and ribbed or rod-like (especially mature males)
- Buccal crown
- Suckers on ventral buccal lappets.
- Eyes
- Eye not unusually large; diameter of externally visible eyeball 14 - 19 % ML, diameter of dissected lens 2 - 7 % ML.
- Arms
- Left ventral arm hectocotylized in mature males by a modification of distal half to fourth of arm that extends to arm tip; one half to three fourths (42 - 82) of suckers in dorsal row much smaller than half the size of their ventral counterparts; modified (small) suckers on small, narrow, triangular pedicels.
Habitat and Biology
Occurs from the surface to 366 m depth, mostly shallower than 200 m; apparently concentrates near the bottom during the day and disperses into the water column at night, when it can be dip-netted at the surface. Matures over a broad range of sizes depending on season and locality: males 3.8 to 35 cm, females 4.2 to 20.3 cm mantle length, whereas they can remain immature up to 14 cm (males) and 9 cm (females); immature and mature specimens of a broad range or sizes maybe caught in the same net-haul. Gravid specimens are found the year round; all may not die after spawning. Feeds on crustaceans, small fishes, and probably squids.
Geographic Distribution
Western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea in con-tinental shelf and upper slope waters from Cape Hatteras, (very rarely to southern New England) to Fortaleza, Brazil; Bermuda, Bahamian and Caribbean Islands.
Other Names for Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) plei
- Vernacular Names: En: Slender inshore squid, Fr: Calmar flèche, Sp: Calamar flecha
Title Illustrations
| Scientific Name | Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) plei |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgements | Vecchione, M., C.F.E. Roper, and M.J. Sweeney. 1989. Marine flora and fauna of the eastern United States. Mollusca: Cephalopoda. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS 73:1-23. |
| Scientific Name | Doryteuthis plei |
|---|---|
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
| View | Dorsal |
| Copyright | © 2005 |
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 copyright © 2010
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Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) plei . Slender inshore squid.
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Michael Vecchione and Richard E. Young.
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- First online 02 September 2010
- Content changed 02 September 2010
Citing this page:
Vecchione, Michael and Richard E. Young. 2010. Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) plei . Slender inshore squid. Version 02 September 2010 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Doryteuthis_%28Doryteuthis%29_plei/52728/2010.09.02 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
