Systematics of the Onychoteuthidae Gray, 1847 (Cephalopoda: Oegopsida)

• Main Author: Bolstad, Kathrin S.
• Other Authors: O'Shea, Steve, Bollard-Breen, Barbara
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Auckland University of Technology 2008
• Subjects: Systematics; Taxonomy; Cephalopoda; Onychoteuthidae; Arctic
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10292/414

Squids in the family Onychoteuthidae Gray, 1847 have been reported from every ocean but the Arctic, are taken frequently in deep-sea fisheries by catch, and are ecologically important in the diets of many marine predators including cetaceans, pinnipeds, sharks, and seabirds. However, the diversity and systematic of the family have remained poorly understood. Of the 60+ nominal species, 12–14 have generally been accepted in recent studies. Challenges to clarity include insufficient species descriptions, original descriptions published in eight languages and often based solely on early life stages, non-designation or subsequent loss of type material, and the existence of several unresolved species complexes. In light of the general systematic disarray of the Onychoteuthidae, a global revision of the family follows, based on ~1500 specimens examined from 19 repositories. Type material has been examined wherever possible; for some species, photographs of type specimens, original illustrations, and/or the original descriptions have provided the only information available. It has not been possible to fully disambiguate taxa in some cases (e.g. Gen. nov. 2), given the limited material and information available, but for all species treated in this revision (25 out of 26 species; no material was available for Kondakovia nigmatullini), descriptions and illustrations are provided to a consistent standard that will enable their reidentification. External and internal morphological characters and states are described for sub adult to adult stages of most species, with external characters reported through ontogeny as permitted by available material. Historically important characters are treated (general external morphology, body proportions, tentacle clubs, photophores, gladius, lower beak, radula), augmented by several more recently recognised characters (palatine teeth, detailed morphology of the tentacular hooks in adults, tentacular suckers in paralarvae, chromatophore patterns). The systematic value of both historical ...