REVIEW OF THE SYSTEMATICS AND ECOLOQY OF OUEANIU SQUIDS 143
Zealand (Gray, 1849; Suter, 1913; Dell, 1952), Kermadec Islands
(Berry, 1914c), New Caledonia (Brazier, 1892a), Japan (Okada, 1927;
Sasaki, 1929a), Hawaii (Berry, 1914a), Kuril Islands (Beteshava and
Akimushkin, 1955), Bering Sea (Middendorf, 1849; Sam, 1878), British
Columbia (Gabb, 1862a; Clarke, 1962b), Oregon (Pearcy, 1966),
CaNornia (Carpenter, 1864; Da11, 2872; Phffer, 1922; Rice, 2963),
west Mexico (Boone, 1928b), South America (Dall, 1910; Pfeffer, 1912),
the central Pacific (Hoyle, 1904b) and the Antarctic (Korabelnikov,
1959).
Little geographical variation has been found although Okada (1927)
considered that the Japanese form should be separated as 0. borealisjuponicus. Although adults are not usually caught in large numbers,
at times they are, and they may then be of commercial importance
for food (Sasaki, 1929a).
The species has often been caught at the surface particularly at
night (e.g. Adam, 1952 ; Voss, 1963a) when it may be seen as a dark
shape with a pale blue light issuing from the photophores in the mantle
cavity. At night it sometimes jumps aboard vessels and is regarded as
one of the “flying squids” (Brazier, 1892a; Massy, 1916c; Boone, 1933;
Rees, 1949). Although it has been caught in open nets fished to as
much as 4 000 m (Adam, 1960c) the available evidence suggests that it
lives much nearer the surface. Degner (1925) found that, of the small
individuals (up to 1.45 cm), 71.9%, representing 5.3 per haul, were
at less than 30 m (65 m wire out), 18.5%, representing 2 per haul were
from 30-150 m (65-300 m of wire out) and only 8.6%, representing
1.4 per haul, were deeper than 150 m (>300 m of wire out).
Degner (1925) found evidence that shoals of young individuals are
composed of similarly sized squids and he found as many as 28 of the
same size in a single net haul.
During growth the arms become relatively shorter and then longer,
the head also becomes shorter and then longer, the body becomes
relatively much narrower and the fms become relatively longer (Fig. 20).
The larvae have a white patch under each eye and two pearl-like light
organs in the mantle cavity are clearly visible through the mantle wall.
In the North Atlantic, size frequency histograms of young animals
taken in the summer and in the winter are very similar (derived from
data of Degner 1925 and Bouxin and Legendre, 1936) and this suggests
that hatching takes place all year round; a view also supported by the
occurrence of larvae less than 1.0 cm in the North Atlantic in February
and May to October; (Joubin, 1920; Bouxin and Legendre, 1936; Voss,
1958, 1960a). Comparison of Degner’s with Bouxin and Legendre’s
data provides an interesting reminder of the inadequacy of our sampling
Zealand (Gray, 1849; Suter, 1913; Dell, 1952), Kermadec Islands
(Berry, 1914c), New Caledonia (Brazier, 1892a), Japan (Okada, 1927;
Sasaki, 1929a), Hawaii (Berry, 1914a), Kuril Islands (Beteshava and
Akimushkin, 1955), Bering Sea (Middendorf, 1849; Sam, 1878), British
Columbia (Gabb, 1862a; Clarke, 1962b), Oregon (Pearcy, 1966),
CaNornia (Carpenter, 1864; Da11, 2872; Phffer, 1922; Rice, 2963),
west Mexico (Boone, 1928b), South America (Dall, 1910; Pfeffer, 1912),
the central Pacific (Hoyle, 1904b) and the Antarctic (Korabelnikov,
1959).
Little geographical variation has been found although Okada (1927)
considered that the Japanese form should be separated as 0. borealisjuponicus. Although adults are not usually caught in large numbers,
at times they are, and they may then be of commercial importance
for food (Sasaki, 1929a).
The species has often been caught at the surface particularly at
night (e.g. Adam, 1952 ; Voss, 1963a) when it may be seen as a dark
shape with a pale blue light issuing from the photophores in the mantle
cavity. At night it sometimes jumps aboard vessels and is regarded as
one of the “flying squids” (Brazier, 1892a; Massy, 1916c; Boone, 1933;
Rees, 1949). Although it has been caught in open nets fished to as
much as 4 000 m (Adam, 1960c) the available evidence suggests that it
lives much nearer the surface. Degner (1925) found that, of the small
individuals (up to 1.45 cm), 71.9%, representing 5.3 per haul, were
at less than 30 m (65 m wire out), 18.5%, representing 2 per haul were
from 30-150 m (65-300 m of wire out) and only 8.6%, representing
1.4 per haul, were deeper than 150 m (>300 m of wire out).
Degner (1925) found evidence that shoals of young individuals are
composed of similarly sized squids and he found as many as 28 of the
same size in a single net haul.
During growth the arms become relatively shorter and then longer,
the head also becomes shorter and then longer, the body becomes
relatively much narrower and the fms become relatively longer (Fig. 20).
The larvae have a white patch under each eye and two pearl-like light
organs in the mantle cavity are clearly visible through the mantle wall.
In the North Atlantic, size frequency histograms of young animals
taken in the summer and in the winter are very similar (derived from
data of Degner 1925 and Bouxin and Legendre, 1936) and this suggests
that hatching takes place all year round; a view also supported by the
occurrence of larvae less than 1.0 cm in the North Atlantic in February
and May to October; (Joubin, 1920; Bouxin and Legendre, 1936; Voss,
1958, 1960a). Comparison of Degner’s with Bouxin and Legendre’s
data provides an interesting reminder of the inadequacy of our sampling