Asperoteuthis acanthoderma
Encyclopedia
Asperoteuthis acanthoderma is a species of squid
belonging to the family
Chiroteuthidae
. It is characterised by the tiny, pointed tubercules present on its skin and a Y-shaped groove in the funnel locking-apparatus.
The largest recorded specimen measured 78 cm in mantle
length (ML), although its original total length is unknown as it was missing the very delicate feeding tentacle
s. A smaller specimen, 45 cm ML, had tentacles 12 times the length of its mantle, giving a total length of almost 5.5 m. This makes A. acanthoderma one of the longest
known cephalopod
s.
The type specimen of A. acanthoderma was collected in the Celebes Sea
and is deposited at the Zoologisk Museum of Københavns Universitet in Copenhagen
. A. acanthoderma is also known from waters off Grand Cayman
, Little Cayman
, the Florida Keys
, Okinawa, and Hawaii
.
The first known specimen from the Atlantic Ocean
was found by a charter fisherman while floating in 250 m (820 ft) deep water off the southern coast of Key West
, Florida
on February 20, 2007. It measured 73 cm ML and is thought to have been 4.9 to 7.3 m (16 to 24 ft) long when intact. Although an incomplete specimen, missing most of its tentacles, it weighed 6 kg (13.2 lb) and measured 2 m (6.5 ft) in total length.
In 2007, teuthologist Richard E. Young stated that "probably fewer than 10" specimens of A. acanthoderma had ever been reported. Recent years have seen a great influx of new specimens, however; since the capture of the first specimen from the Atlantic, at least 4 additional specimens have been recovered from the Caribbean Basin
alone.
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
belonging to the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Chiroteuthidae
Chiroteuthidae
Chiroteuthids are deep-sea squid of the family Chiroteuthidae. They are generally small to medium in size, rather soft and gelatinous, and slow moving. They are found in most temperate and tropical oceans, but are known primarily from the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Indo-Pacific...
. It is characterised by the tiny, pointed tubercules present on its skin and a Y-shaped groove in the funnel locking-apparatus.
The largest recorded specimen measured 78 cm in mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
length (ML), although its original total length is unknown as it was missing the very delicate feeding tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s. A smaller specimen, 45 cm ML, had tentacles 12 times the length of its mantle, giving a total length of almost 5.5 m. This makes A. acanthoderma one of the longest
Cephalopod size
Size has been one of the most interesting aspects of cephalopod science to the general public. This article lists the largest cephalopods from various groups, sorted in order of mantle length, total length, weight, and shell diameter...
known cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s.
The type specimen of A. acanthoderma was collected in the Celebes Sea
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
and is deposited at the Zoologisk Museum of Københavns Universitet in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. A. acanthoderma is also known from waters off Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
, Little Cayman
Little Cayman
Little Cayman is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, about 75 miles northeast of Grand Cayman and five miles west of Cayman Brac. Little Cayman has a permanent population of less than 170 and is about 10 miles long with an average width of 1 mile...
, the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
, Okinawa, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The first known specimen from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
was found by a charter fisherman while floating in 250 m (820 ft) deep water off the southern coast of Key West
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
on February 20, 2007. It measured 73 cm ML and is thought to have been 4.9 to 7.3 m (16 to 24 ft) long when intact. Although an incomplete specimen, missing most of its tentacles, it weighed 6 kg (13.2 lb) and measured 2 m (6.5 ft) in total length.
In 2007, teuthologist Richard E. Young stated that "probably fewer than 10" specimens of A. acanthoderma had ever been reported. Recent years have seen a great influx of new specimens, however; since the capture of the first specimen from the Atlantic, at least 4 additional specimens have been recovered from the Caribbean Basin
Caribbean Basin
The Caribbean Basin is generally defined as the area running from Florida westward along the Gulf coast, then south along the Mexican coast through Central America and then eastward across the northern coast of South America. This region includes the islands of the archipelago of the West Indies...
alone.