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Magister armhook squid
*** Shopping-Tip: Magister armhook squid
{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = Magister Armhook Squid
| image = berryteuthis magister.jpg
| image_width = 220px
| regnum =
Animalia
| phylum =
Mollusca
| classis =
Cephalopoda
| subclassis =
Coleoidea
| ordo =
Teuthida
| subordo =
Oegopsina
| familia =
Gonatidae
| genus = ''
Berryteuthis''
| species = '''''B. magister'''''
| subdivision_ranks =
Trinomial names
| subdivision =
''Berryteuthis magister magister''
''Berryteuthis magister nipponensis''
''Berryteuthis magister shevtsovi''
}}
The '''Magister Armhook Squid''', also known as the '''Commander Squid''' or '''Schoolmaster Gonate Squid''' (''Berryteuthis magister magister''
Samuel Stillman Berry Berry,
1913) is a medium-sized
squid in the
family (biology) family Gonatidae. It is found in cold, high latitude waters of the
Pacific Ocean North Pacific where it is among the most numerous squid
species recorded.
There are two
subspecies of ''B. magister magister'', the
holotype type specimen locality of both being
Japan (although both have been recorded as far east as the
Aleutian Islands):
*''Berryteuthis magister nipponensis''
Takashi Okutani T. Okutani and
T. Kubodera,
1987
*''Berryteuthis magister shevtsovi''
Katugin,
2000
Physical description
The cylindrical bodies of Magister Armhook Squids are muscular with very soft reddish brown skin. Like all
gonatids the suckers of their arms are arranged in four rows or ''series''. But unlike other gonatids it is in females only that the suckers are modified into hooks; these hooks are on the mesial rows of the dorsal arms only. The clubs at the end of both tentacles are covered in 20 rows of suckers; these are smaller in ''B. magister nipponensis''.
image:berryteuthis magister hooks.jpg left|thumb|Close-up of hooks
The wing-like fins at the rear of the body are rather large and may reach up to 50 percent of the
mantle (mollusc) mantle length. The fins are also smaller in ''B. magister nipponensis''.
''B. magister magister'' is known to reach a mantle length of 25 centimetres; total body length may exceed 61 centimetres (2 feet). Both ''B. magister nipponensis'' and ''B. magister shevtsovi'' are somewhat smaller, with a maximum mantle length of 17-20 centimetres. Females are slightly larger than males.
Habitat and behaviour
These squid are
pelagic zone pelagic, roaming as deep as 1,000 metres and are associated with the
continental shelf. Like other species in their family, Magister Armhook Squids are thought to undertake
diel migration; by day the squid remain in the blackness of the depths. By night, they ascend to the upper layers of the water column to feed by starlight. An internal balancing organ called a ''
statocyst'' ensures graceful movement.
Magister Armhook Squid prey upon both
benthos benthic and pelagic species;
sculpins, smaller
fish such as
Sablefish and juvenile
pollock,
crustaceans including
euphausiids and
amphipods, and other squid.
Cannibalism is also known to occur among the Magisters.
Baird's Beaked Whale, the
Short-finned Pilot Whale,
Dall's Porpoise and
Sperm Whales are all known to feed upon Magister Armhook Squids. Other predators include
seabirds,
Northern Fur Seals,
Rattail Grenadiers,
halibut and several species of
salmon.
External link
{{CephBase Species|334}}
Category:Squid
see
Magister Armhook Squid
*** Shopping-Tip: Magister armhook squid
