FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

774 Cephalopods
“Photololigo chinensis” Gray, 1849 species complex
Frequent synonyms (named species of uncertain status included
in the complex) / misidentifications: Loligo chinensis Gray, 1849; L.
australis Gray, 1849; L. formosana Sasaki, 1929; L. etheridgei Berry,
1918; L. indica Hoyle, 1886; ?L. vossi Nesis, 1982; Photololigo sp. 3 of
Yeatman and Benzie, 1994 / ?Doryteuthis singhalensis of Voss, 1963.
FAO names: En - Mitre squid; Fr - Calmar mitre; Sp - Calamar mitrado.
Diagnostic characters: Mantle
elongate, slender, bluntly pointed
posteriorly; fins rhombic, long,
over 60% of mantle length in
adults. About 12 medial manal
suckers of tentacular clubs enlarged
to 1.5 times the diameter of
lateral suckers and twice the diameter
of largest arm sucker; large
rings with 20 to 30 sharp, conical
separate teeth, the 6 to 12 larger
ones interspersed with 1 to 4
smaller ones. Larger sucker rings
of arms II and III with 10 to 18
sharp conical teeth distally, with
degenerate teeth or smooth proximally;
left arm IV hectocotylized
at distal 33 to 40% by modification
of more than 30 suckers and stalks
in each row into slender, conical
papillae that remain larger in the
ventral row.
tentacular club
sucker ring
arm III sucker ring
tentacular
club
(illustration: K. Hollis/ABRS)
dorsal view
Size: Maximum 400 mm mantle length, commonly to 200 mm mantle (illustration: K. Hollis/ABRS)
length.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Neritic species ranging from intertidal areas to a depth of 170 m; positively
phototactic and periodically forming large aggregations. Spawning occurs throughout the year, with peaks
in Spring and Autumn. This species complex is targetted or a welcome bycatch of numerous commercial
and small-scale fisheries throughout its range; major squid species together with Photololigo duvaucelii
in the Gulf of Thailand, where it is taken in waters from depths between 15 and 30 m and amounts to up
to 71% of the catch (more than 40 000 t in 1984) from light-luring vessels. Bycatch (together with
“Photololigo edulis”) in prawn trawling off northern Australia and occurs in minor quantities in Indonesian,
Malaysian, and Philippine catches. Taken with a variety of gears, including demersal trawls, purse seines,
cast, lift, dip and box nets, hook-and-lines including jigs, scoop nets, and stake nets, often involving light
attraction. Marketed fresh, frozen, or dried and is also processed into cleaned “hoods” and rings.
Distribution: Western Pacific:
South and East China Seas to
Japan, Gulf of Thailand,
Arafura and Timor seas, northern
Australia.