Walvisteuthis Explained

Walvisteuthis, the stubby hook squids, is a genus of squid in the family Onychoteuthidae.^[1] The genus contains four species. They are characterised by possessing oval fins which are not drawn-out posteriorly, the gladius has elongated-rhomboid vanes and a short, blunt rostrum which is perpendicular to tip of gladius, the gladius is visible beneath skin at the dorsal midline and they only have primary occipital folds.^[2]

Species

The four species currently recognised are:

• Walvisteuthis jeremiahi Vecchione, Sosnowski & Young, 2015
• Walvisteuthis rancureli (Okutani, 1981)
• Walvisteuthis virilis Nesis & Nikitina, 1986
• Walvisteuthis youngorum (Bolstad, 2010)

Notes and References

1. Vecchione. M.. Sosnowski. A.. Young. R. E.. Walvisteuthis jeremiahi n. sp. (Mollusca: Cephalopoda), an onychoteuthid squid from the Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 2015. 128. 2. 164–175. 10.2988/0006-324X-128.2.164. 85849490.
2. Web site: Bolstad, K.S.R. . Richard E. Young . Richard E. Young . Michael Vecchione . Michael Vecchione . amp . 2015 . Walvisteuthis Nesis & Nikitina 1986. Stubby hooksquid. Version 11 October 2015 (under construction) . The Tree of Life Web Project.