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OMMASTREPHIDAE 48 3
Genus Doryteuthis Naef 191
Doryteuthis plei Blainville Plee's Striped Squid
Florida and the West Indies.
Up to 8 inches in length, including the tentacular arms. Characterized
by the long, narrow, slightly wavy, dark-colored bands running back along
the side of the mantle. The rest of the mantle is moderately covered with
small round dots. The body is long and slender, the triangular fins on the
last third of the mantle, and the arm suckers do not have pointed teeth on
the horny circles. A common surface-living species of the Caribbean region.
Oigopsid Squid—eyes naked in front, pupils circular; eyelids
Family ARCHITEUTHIDAE
Genus Architeuthis Steenstrup 1857
Architeuthis harveyi Kent Harvey's Giant Squid
Newfoundland Fishing Banks.
2
Figure 99c
Total length 40 to ^s ^^^^- Body stout, nearly round, swollen in the
middle. Arms nearly equal in length, all bearing sharply, serrated suckers.
Tentacular arms 4 times as long as the 8 sessile arms. The peculiar backward
pointing tail fins separate this species from A. princeps Verrill, another giant
squid found in the same area. A large well-preserved specimen of any giant
squid is worth its weight in gold. No large specimens have been brought
back from the fishing banks in many years. They may occasionally be
washed ashore from Nova Scotia north. If you find one, take photographs if
possible, and notify one of the leading museums. Giant squid of unknown
identity have been seen in the Gulf of Mexico.
Family OMMASTREPHIDAE
Genus lllex Steenstrup 1880
Resembhng Loligo somewhat, but with half-hidden eyes, the lids free
and with a distinct notch or sinus in front. Internal pen narrow along the
middle portion, and with three ribs. There are 8 rows of tiny suckers on
the end section of the 2 long, tentacular arms. Further study may show that
the genus lllex is the same as Ominastrephes Orbigny 1835.
lllex illecebrosus Lesueur Common Short-finned Squid
Greenland to North Carolina and the Gulf of Mexico.
Figure 99b