| Umbrella squid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Museum model ofHistioteuthis bonnellii | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Oegopsida |
| Family: | Histioteuthidae |
| Genus: | Histioteuthis |
| Species: | H. bonnellii |
| Binomial name | |
| Histioteuthis bonnellii | |
| Synonyms | |
List
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Histioteuthis bonnellii, theumbrella squid, is a species ofcock-eyed squid belonging to the familyHistioteuthidae.
This species is distributed mostly in theAtlantic Ocean. It can be found off the coast ofArgentina,South Africa, and theTasman Sea.[3] There is a population in theMediterranean.[4] There may be several subspecies that exist in the Atlantic Ocean.[3]
These squids can be found in mid water between 100 and 2200 m in depth. Juveniles usually inhabit the upper water column between 100 and 200 m, while larger individuals can be found between 200 and 800 m and most of mature specimens have been caught between 1000 and 2200 m in depth.[1]
H. bonnellii is one of the larger species in its genus, usually reaching 33 cm inmantle length[5] and a total length of 119 cm.[3] Mature males can reach a mantle length of 50–330 millimetres (2.0–13.0 in).[3]
Body of these small to medium sized squids have a purplish color. Moreover they have various luminous organs, especially on the mantle, the arms and the long tentacles. The tentacles are connected by a membrane. The eyes of this animal are not symmetrical and they differ per side of the head.
Histioteuthis bonnellii is able to change color. It moves forward by pumping water into its mantle and pushing it out again through the siphon. It is a carnivore and its food consists mainly of fish, crabs, lobsters and molluscs caught with its suckers.
These cephalopods are predated by Northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus), Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), Blue shark (Prionace glauca), Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris).[6]
