Onychoteuthis compacta (Berry 1913)

Onychoteuthis compacta (Berry, 1913)

DIAGNOSIS.—Mantle nearly cylindrical, ending posteriorly in acute point. Fins enormous, broadly sagittate, length little more than 50% ML, width equal to ML, apical angle 135°. Arms short, stout, arm formula III > II > IV > I, length 21%–28% ML. Arm suckers in 2 widely spaced rows. Tentacles little longer than arms. Tentacle club not expanded but with well-developed aboral keel and 4 longitudinal rows of armatures, dorsal 2 rows and ventral marginal row being suckers. Only median ventral row with hooks, 10 or 11 in number, proximal 5 hooks small, next 3 hooks much larger, distal 2 or 3 hooks diminishing again in size. Suckers in dorsal 2 rows 16–18, proximal 5 pairs closely set, next 3 pairs widely placed, slightly larger, suckers becoming smaller again distally. Suckers in ventral row exceedingly minute, especially distally, placed very far apart. Suckers on dactylus minute. Well-defined fixing apparatus with 12 suckers and 8 pads. Ocular and visceral photophores present. Animal small (based on juvenile).

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION.—Berry, 1913:565. (See also Berry, 1914:324–325, fig. 32, pl. LII: figs. 4, 5.)

TYPE LOCALITY.—From RV Albatross sta 3989, vicinity of the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

DEPOSITION OF TYPE.—Holotype: USNM 214381 (SSB 238); National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States; in very poor condition, no detail can be determined.

Paratypes: None.

DISTRIBUTION.—Hawaiian waters.

Onychoteuthis compacta is a species of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae, known to occur in Hawaiian waters. as well as in other areas of the Central Pacific and western north-central Atlantic, it probably has a circumglobar distribution. The species is known to have a mantle length of at least 122 mm for females and 127 mm for males. Each tentacle has 22 club hooks, measuring approximately 30 mm in mature specimens.