Family NEOTEUTHIDAE Naef, 1921

Museums

Regional Maps

• NEOTEUTHIDAE Naef, A. 1921. Die Cephalopoden. Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel 35(1): 1-148.

  Type genus:

   Neoteuthis Naef, 1921.

Introduction

Members of the family Neoteuthidae Naef, 1921 are small to medium sized oceanic squid, with a conical mantle and large head and, laterally, fringe fins or kidney-shaped fins without anterior lobes. Four genera are included in the family. Alluroteuthis with its sole species A. antarcticus Odhner, 1923 is known only from Antarctic waters while other species are known from the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans (Roper et al. 1969; Young 1972; Nesis 1987). In Australian Antarctic waters only one species is known, Alluroteuthis antarcticus.

Very little has been published on Alluroteuthis antarcticus. Paralarvae and juveniles are mesopelagic; adults are mesopelagic to bathypelagic at 750-2800 m. Adults concentrate at 800-900 m during the day. Ontogenetic descent occurs in juveniles and subadults. The food of the species includes the squid Psychroteuthis glacialis and the fish Pleuragramma antarcticum (Lu & Williams 1994). Predators of this species include many species of Antarctic seabirds (Croxall & Prince 1996) and Ross and Weddell Seals (Klages 1996).

Diagnosis

Neoteuthids are medium and small squids with mantle conical and head large. The fins lack anterior 'earlets', are kidney-shaped, or inversely heart-shaped (narrow anteriorly and wide posteriorly, with incision on posterior edge) or in the form of a lateral fringe. There are 2 rows of suckers on all arms. In adult Alluroteuthis the suckers on the 1st to 3rd arms are modified to form hooks. Suckers on the 4th arms are much smaller than on the 1st–3rd arms. The proximal part of the tentacular club bears a large number of small suckers arranged in more than 10 rows; in the central part of the club there are 4 rows of large suckers of equal or different size, while on the distal end are 3–4 rows of gradually smaller suckers. The funnel locking cartilage is simple, straight, and the buccal connectives attach to the dorsal borders of the ventral arms. Photophores are absent.

General References

Croxall, J.P. & Prince, P.A. 1996. Cephalopods as prey. I. Seabirds. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 351: 1023-1043

Klages, N.T.W. 1996. Cephalopods as prey. II. Seals. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 351: 1045-1052

Lu, C.C. & Williams, R. 1994. Contribution to the biology of squid in the Prydz Bay region, Antarctica. Antarctic Science 6(2): 223-229

Nesis, K.N. 1987. Cephalopods of the World. Neptune City, N.J. : T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Ltd 351 pp.

Roper, C.F.E., Young, R.E. & Voss, G.L. 1969. An illustrated key to the families of the order Teuthoidea (Cephalopoda). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 13: 1-32

Young, R.E. 1972. The systematics and areal distribution of pelagic cephalopods from the seas off southern California. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 97: 1-159

History of changes