A giant squid ( Architeuthis dux ) off Reunion Island, western Indian Ocean: the greatest giant ever?

International audience A freshly dead individual of the giant squid Architeuthis dux, presumably mutilated by a predator of bigger or comparable size, is reported from the south-western Indian Ocean in proximity to Reunion Island. The species was identified from body and beak morphology and validate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Main Authors: Romanov, Evgeny V., Jaquemet, Sébastien, Puetz, Lara
Other Authors: ARDA CAP RUN, Ecologie marine tropicale dans les Océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE Réunion ), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Copenhagen = Københavns Universitet (UCPH)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2018
Subjects:
Cephalopod habitat
distribution records
lower rostral length
dorsal mantle length
total length
[SDV.BID]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity
Indian
DML
Online Access:https://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-02273506
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315417001588
Description
Summary:International audience A freshly dead individual of the giant squid Architeuthis dux, presumably mutilated by a predator of bigger or comparable size, is reported from the south-western Indian Ocean in proximity to Reunion Island. The species was identified from body and beak morphology and validated genetically. The dorsal mantle length (DML) estimated from beak measurements (lower rostral length, LRL) varied between 2153 and 3060 mm depending on the allometric equation used. The Architeuthis dux individual described here is the biggest giant squid ever reported for the region.

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