Mystery squid 1

[joel_ang]

Probably wrong again but Octopoteuthis Danae? Since it has the same "last name" I thought it could be it

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Nope again.
You can exclude any genus/species in the following families:
Enoploteuthidae
Onychoteuthidae
Ancistrocheiridae
Octopoteuthidae
Cranchiidae
Gonatidae (these can have a magnificent hook in the tentacle club)

 

[joel_ang]

:x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x :x
I give up!! I think I'll just wait

 

[Clem]

Well, crap.

I was going to suggest some freakishly large gonatid as the owner of the hook, such as Gonatopsis makko (the hook looks a lot like a Mako shark's tooth). In fact, the item in question isn't very hook-like at all, being rather more like a spine, so perhaps it's function is to puncture, but not to grasp.

Steve, this isn't a trick-question, is it? The item came from the arm of a squid not known to have hooks...used for something horrible...is this hook evidence of an interspecies riveting?

I'll just sit here quietly until August.



Clem

 

[Steve O'Shea]

The hooks are found only on the male of the species; there are two of them, one on each dorsal arm. We believe they are used by the male to get 'purchase' on the female, twice his size, as he does his evil business. Indeed, they are more like spines.

Terrible that in this day and age the male of a species is only just being described; someone thought they had done it before .... but, alas, they had not.

Would make for a sensational documentary animatic (part of the plan).

We've just found another species of squid with a really bizarre reproductive technique - am working that one up now. What some of these animals do to each other is quite frightening; I'd sooner be a male preying mantis!

 

[Clem]

The hooks are found only on the male of the species; there are two of them, one on each dorsal arm. We believe they are used by the male to get 'purchase' on the female, twice his size, as he does his evil business...Would make for a sensational documentary animatic (part of the plan).

Ooohh, a heretofore undescribed male of the species...that's a fine hint.

This cryptic beast's mating would certainly make for a fine bit of CG nature porn. "Squid Gone Wild!"

Tonight, on Discovery After Dark.



Clem

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

... as he does his evil business.

Would make for a sensational documentary animatic (part of the plan).

We've just found another species of squid with a really bizarre reproductive technique - am working that one up now. What some of these animals do to each other is quite frightening; I'd sooner be a male preying mantis!

Steve,

Several species of spider use dances and movement to get the attention of the ladies. One wrong move, though, and he's lunch. But how's this: some species of anglerfish actually have the male as a much smaller form that attaches itself parasitically to the female. In the end, he becomes an extention the female's external anatomy; a sort of ambulatory penis, if you will.

Oh, I can just imagine what some women are thinking of saying right now... I heard the most evil male-bashing comments from some fellow students during a guest lecture on this subject. All in fun though. Honestly though, sexual reproduction seems to be risky business no matter what in what phylum you choose. My baby woke me up today by hooking his fingers into my nostrils and pulling. Happy Father's Day, huh?

Schweet deal on the findings! I hope you find even more interesting things!

Sushi and Sake,

John

P.S. Oh, and "evil business"?! Dude.....

 

[Steve O'Shea]

..... all shall be revealed in August I believe.

 

[Steve O'Shea]

:x
.....I'm afraid it's not in the August issue of JMBA; having reviewed the page proofs and all this is all a little frustrating. I guess all shall be revealed in October!

Pity; the squid is .

 

[Gayla]

hope this would solve my problem

I'm going crazy with some squid id's in Hawaii ... they're from tuna guts.
I've been placing a lot of squids in Histioteuthis based on distinctive photophores - oval with a light spot on one side. Then I get a small batch that have hooks ... uh oh. The beak has more of a ridge (like Enoploteuthid) than a fin (like Histioteuthis), but they're small so I could be wrong. So body of Histioteuthis and arms and beak of Enoploteuthis? I never found a good picture of photophores of E.higginsi or E.reticulata so I just figured I got a ton of my Histioteuthis id's wrong and had to go dig them all up ... unless you've just found a Histioteuthis with hooks (oh please, oh please)!!