(Steenstrup, 1855)
Description
Adult. Fins muscular, 45-50% of mantle length, width 75-80% ML, fin angle 55-60°. Anterodorsal surface of mantle with large oval subcutaneous patch of very densely packed, small light organs. Tentacular stalk without suckers, or with one, or two small suckers proximal to first smooth knob on the carpal fixing apparatus.
Young [S.pteropus-y]. (The identification of the young stages is tentative). Single, round photophore on ventral surface of each eye; two equal sized photophores on the intestine, one anterior, one posterior. Length of proboscis typically 50-100% of the mantle length (<4mm ML). Proboscis tip with suckers that are about equal in diameter. Proboscis begins to divide at about 4.5 mm ML; the tentacles are separate at 10 mm ML. [After Wormuth et al., in Sweeney et al., 1992].
Size
Adult mantle length up to 76 cm; total length (including tentacles) maximum 2.14 m.
Depth range
Surface to about 1500 m, mostly upper 200 m.
Distribution in the North Sea
Rare in the northern North Sea, mainly recorded from strandings.
World distribution
Treopical-subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, from about 40°N to 30°S.