2010/06/30 by Alexander I. Arkhipkin, Vladimir Laptikhovsky · 3 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Neuroscience · Veterinary · #Cephalopods and Marine Biology #Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research #Veterinary Pharmacology and Anesthesia
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/mollus/eyq019
openalex publication_date 2010/06/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Cephalopod molluscs possess a variety of reproductive organs and display diverse sexual behaviours, justifying their nickname as ‘oceanic intellectuals’ (Boyle & Rodhouse, 2005). However, while courtship and mating of shallow-water cuttlefish, octopuses and squid have been filmed and well documented by divers and remotely operated vehicles (Sauer et al., 1997; Hanlon, 1998), what happens during mating of deep-water cephalopods remains largely a mystery (Nesis, 1995), apart from one observation of possible mating behaviour in Brachioteuthis beanii (Roper & Vecchione, 1996). When squid mate, a male transfers its sperm to a female enclosed in complex structures called spermatophores. These are accumulated in the spermatophoric sac, a storage organ inside the mantle cavity, before ejaculation through the penis. Squid that spawn in shelf waters and epipelagic waters of the open ocean usually have short penes hidden completely inside the mantle. Males pick the ejaculated spermatophores from inside their mantle with a specially modified arm called the hectocotylus, to transfer them to the female. Females spawning in shallow water have special places for spermatophore attachment on the body, both externally (skin ring around the mouth, and back of the head) and internally (oviducal gland openings near gills) (Nesis, 1995). As female squid lack a vagina, the use of a highly articulated arm (hectocotylus) for transfer and placement of spermatophores is more precise than by means of the comparatively poorly articulated penis.