(Leach, 1817)
Description
Adult. Mantle muscular, cylindrical, slender, elongate, 4-6 times longer than wide. Trapezoid, broad sagittate fins posteriorly, with small "ears" anteriorly; length of fins 50-80% of mantle length. Head wider than mantle opening. Gladius present as a dark streak along the mid-dorsum. Neck with 9-10 pairs of nuchal folds. Arms strong with 2 series of suckers of which horny rings lack teeth. Tentacular club with 19-23 strong hooks. Two spherical photophores lie on the intestine.
Young. At 3 mm mantle length, tentacle clubs have 19-23 hooks, have four rows of suckers on the distal end, and have two rows of suckers over most of the tentacular stalk (Clarke, in Sweeney et al., 1992).
Size
Mantle length 11 cm
Depth range
Distribution in the North Sea
Northern North Sea, Skagerrak, (also Norwegian west coast).
World distribution
Worldwide; W Atlantic Ocean from 50-40°S to 45°N, advected into the NE Atlantic with Gulf Stream up north as ca. 72°N; Pacific Ocean from 45°S to 40°N; Indian Ocean from 40°S to 10°N.