Doryteuthis (Loligo) opalescens

Taxon-Order: 
Teuthida

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Distribution: 
British Columbia, Canada to southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.
Habitat: 
Pelagic; also shallow coastal waters off southern CA.
Size: 
Paralarvae: 3.0 to 7.0 mm mantle length (ML). Adults: 80 to 190 mm (ML).
Diet: 
Fishes and crustaceans.
Predators: 
Fishes, sharks, marine mammals, squid, and seabirds.
Useful Facts or Characters: 

Arms short with two suckers per row.

Natural History: 

California market squid; spawning occurs in shallow waters. Females deposit clusters of white egg masses on the sandy bottom.  Paralarvae are sometimes caught in plankton nets, but the fast-swimming adults are not.

References: 

http://tolweb.org/Doryteuthis_%28Amerigo%29_opalescens/52726

http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/Lopal.php

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/cpshms/marketsquid.asp

http://jaffeweb.ucsd.edu/node/267

http://calcofi.org/publications/calcofireports/v52/Vol_52_205-213.Koslow...

 

video source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0viJbKswLJc