Moroteuthis robusta

[Mola Mola]

So after the two big Squids this is the biggest (so I read). Makes me wonder why there is not more talk on the "Robust clubhook squid". How commonly seen are they? Are there any videos of one? Any other info would be cool.

 

[Jean]

Don't know why there isn't more talk of these and their relatives........maybe "Giant Squid Wannabes" just isn't as newsworthy! The first squid I ever dissected was a large spent female Moroteuthis ingens Ever had a large (>1m ML) squid ooze through your fingers? Interesting sensation!!

Kat (Tintenfisch) should be able to tell you more, as she works with this group!

Cheers

Jean

 

[erich orser]

We get these off the West Coast. Personal fave of mine.

 

[Mola Mola]

Don't know why there isn't more talk of these and their relatives........maybe "Giant Squid Wannabes" just isn't as newsworthy! The first squid I ever dissected was a large spent female Moroteuthis ingens Ever had a large (>1m ML) squid ooze through your fingers? Interesting sensation!!

Kat (Tintenfisch) should be able to tell you more, as she works with this group!

Cheers

Jean

Thats really cool, thanks for the info. I envy your exprience.

 

[OB]

Just in case people hadn't seen Kubota's famous portrait of a spent Moroteuthis...

Poppe, G.T. & Y. Goto. 1993. European Seashells. Hemmen.
Norman, M.D. 2000. Cephalopods: A World Guide. ConchBooks.

 

[Tintenfisch]

Oops, I missed this thread somehow - sorry!

M. robusta is the biggest onychoteuthid (that we know of ) - it attains a mantle length of ~2m and and overall length of 4-5m, plus it has hooks, so it's cooler than Architeuthis. The Tree of Life has some info on it, and occasionally I get sent photos of specimens washed up around the Pacific Northwest. The attached are from a couple of years ago.

 

[Tintenfisch]

... And the younger ones look like this.

In the reference below, the authors place Moroteuthis japonica and Moroteuthis pacifica into synonymy with M. robusta, and then go on to place all Moroteuthis species into the genus Onykia, considering the true Onykia species to represent juvenile forms of species that belong in the same genus as what has historically been Moroteuthis. Since Onykia is the senior name, it takes precedence, if the species do all belong in the same genus.

Tsuchiya, K., and T. Okutani. 1991. Growth Stages of Moroteuthis robusta (Verrill, 1881) with the Re-evaluation of the Genus. Bulletin of Marine Science, 49(1-2):137-147.