REVIEW OF THE SYSTEMATIOS AND ECOLOGY OF OCIEAMC SQUIDS
131
The buccal membrane of the female bears spermathecae for the
reception of sperms. Lafont (1869) describes the sexual organs but the
species he dealt with was probably Illex because he describes the
attachment of spermatophores within the mantle, a circumstance not
otherwise reported for T . sagittatus.
The migrations inshore do not appear to be for spawning because
a very small percentage of females taken have enlarged nidamental
glands and large ovaries. In the few that are in spawning condition
the nidamental gland may reach 19.4 cm in length (43% mantle length)
(Clarke, unpublished). Spawning possibly takes place on the continental
slope in late winter or early spring off northern Europe and in September to November in the Catalonian Sea (Mangold-Wirz, 1963b). Off
western France it is said to spawn in March and April (Lafont, 1871).
In both northern Europe and the Mediterranean, mature males seem
to be present all the year round while gravid females have only been
found in March in northern Europe (Clarke, unpublished) and September in the Catalonian Sea (Mangold-Wirz, 1963b).
Mangold-Wirz (1963b) calculated that the ripe females in her
collection contained 12 000-15 000 eggs.
In northern waters herring (with 1-7 scale rings) appear to be the
principal food at least during the sojourn on the fishing grounds
(Elmhirst, 1938; Fridriksson, 1943; Segerstrhle, 1944), but cod are also
taken (Clarke, 1963).
T . sagittatus has been recovered from stomachs of G e r m obesuv
(Clarke unpublished), Germo alalunga (Joubin, 1895b; Bouxin and
Legendre, 1936), Gadus morhua (Chun, 1913; Grieg, 1933b), Alepisaurus feroz (Rees and Maul, 1956), dolphin stomachs (Joubin,
1894c; 1895b), Sperm whale stomachs off South Africa (Clarke, in
preparation) and probably off Tristan da Cunha (Korabelnikov, 1959).
VBrany (1851) reported that the flesh of this species is tough, sour
and unwholesome and the sale of it was at that time prohibited in Nice
market. Its main value is for bait and Nesis (1964, in a footnote to a
translation of Clarke, 1963) states that 9 618 tons were taken in 1968
at the Lofoten islands for this purpose; it is frozen, salted or dried
and used for cod and halibut fishing. Yorkshire fishermen however
consider it of no value for bait (Stevenson, 1935). Besides its largescale predation of commercial fish, it has sometimes proved a nuisance
because it has competed with fish for baited hooks (March, 1867).
2. Todarodes paci$cus (Steenstrup, 1880)
Nomenclature of this species has often been confused and it is
known as Nototodarus paci$cus, N . sloanei and N . sloanei paci$cus,
131
The buccal membrane of the female bears spermathecae for the
reception of sperms. Lafont (1869) describes the sexual organs but the
species he dealt with was probably Illex because he describes the
attachment of spermatophores within the mantle, a circumstance not
otherwise reported for T . sagittatus.
The migrations inshore do not appear to be for spawning because
a very small percentage of females taken have enlarged nidamental
glands and large ovaries. In the few that are in spawning condition
the nidamental gland may reach 19.4 cm in length (43% mantle length)
(Clarke, unpublished). Spawning possibly takes place on the continental
slope in late winter or early spring off northern Europe and in September to November in the Catalonian Sea (Mangold-Wirz, 1963b). Off
western France it is said to spawn in March and April (Lafont, 1871).
In both northern Europe and the Mediterranean, mature males seem
to be present all the year round while gravid females have only been
found in March in northern Europe (Clarke, unpublished) and September in the Catalonian Sea (Mangold-Wirz, 1963b).
Mangold-Wirz (1963b) calculated that the ripe females in her
collection contained 12 000-15 000 eggs.
In northern waters herring (with 1-7 scale rings) appear to be the
principal food at least during the sojourn on the fishing grounds
(Elmhirst, 1938; Fridriksson, 1943; Segerstrhle, 1944), but cod are also
taken (Clarke, 1963).
T . sagittatus has been recovered from stomachs of G e r m obesuv
(Clarke unpublished), Germo alalunga (Joubin, 1895b; Bouxin and
Legendre, 1936), Gadus morhua (Chun, 1913; Grieg, 1933b), Alepisaurus feroz (Rees and Maul, 1956), dolphin stomachs (Joubin,
1894c; 1895b), Sperm whale stomachs off South Africa (Clarke, in
preparation) and probably off Tristan da Cunha (Korabelnikov, 1959).
VBrany (1851) reported that the flesh of this species is tough, sour
and unwholesome and the sale of it was at that time prohibited in Nice
market. Its main value is for bait and Nesis (1964, in a footnote to a
translation of Clarke, 1963) states that 9 618 tons were taken in 1968
at the Lofoten islands for this purpose; it is frozen, salted or dried
and used for cod and halibut fishing. Yorkshire fishermen however
consider it of no value for bait (Stevenson, 1935). Besides its largescale predation of commercial fish, it has sometimes proved a nuisance
because it has competed with fish for baited hooks (March, 1867).
2. Todarodes paci$cus (Steenstrup, 1880)
Nomenclature of this species has often been confused and it is
known as Nototodarus paci$cus, N . sloanei and N . sloanei paci$cus,