Octopoteuthidae Berry 1912

The Octopoteuthidae are a family of squid comprising two genera. The family is characterized by tentacles which cease to grow after the paralarval stage, and the use of a penis, instead of a hectocotylus.

The family comprises only two genera, Octopoteuthis (not included in ID 592) and Taningia. It is characterized by biserial hooks on the arms (usually replaced by small biserial suckers near the arm tips); a lack of tentacles (in adults), buccal connectives that attached to the ventral borders of arms IV; a simple, straight, slightly broad funnel locking-cartilage; very large fins; light organs at the tips of development in Octopoteuthis, while they remain for some time in Taningia as small rudimentary filaments that bear a few distal club suckers; they eventually drop off in the juvenile stage.