2008/04/22 by Matthias Glaubrecht, Mario Alejandro Salcedo-Vargas · 3 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Neuroscience · Veterinary · #Cephalopods and Marine Biology #Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research #Veterinary Pharmacology and Anesthesia
paper · doi:10.1002/mmnz.20040800105
openalex publication_date 2008/04/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
A well preserved and with c. 1750 mm body length remarkably large specimen of an oegopsid squid, erroneously treated as representative of the giant squid Architeuthis Steenstrup, 1856, featured prominently in the exhibition and collection of the Natural History Museum in Berlin for most of the last century. The exact identity as well as its origin has long been obscured, though. We reviewed the evidence for the species assignment and re-identified this specimen as a representative of the pelagic Humboldt or jumbo flying squid Dosidicus gigas (Orbigny, 1835), family Ommastrephidae (arrow squids or flying squids). Following a brief account on the history of this specimen, that was studied and first mentioned 1894 by the curator of malacology in Berlin, Carl Eduard von Martens, we review relevant biological features of D. gigas, including data on the geographical distribution of this species, and compare it to other so-called “gigantic” squids, in particular to Architeuthis, adding a discussion of six other oegopsid families with large squids and of frequent misidentifications.