| Octopoteuthis deletron | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
 Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Oegopsida |
| Family: | Octopoteuthidae |
| Genus: | Octopoteuthis |
| Species: | O. deletron |
| Binomial name | |
| Octopoteuthis deletron Young, 1972 | |
Octopoteuthis deletron is a species of squid in the genus Octopoteuthis of the family Octopoteuthidae. They belong to the pelagic squids of order Oegopsida. Found at depths of 400 to 800 m (1,300 to 2,600 ft) in the Pacific Ocean, they have been known to grow to 24 cm (9.4 in).
O. deletron has been found to break off its arms as a defense strategy. The squid digs hooks in one of its arms into a predator and jets away, leaving the arm in the predator's skin.
The male O. deletron has a penis, which is unusual among squids. Males find it difficult to detect the sex of other individuals they encounter in the dark depths, so they have adopted a strategy of attaching sperm packets to all individuals they meet.
O. deletron are the most common species found in the stomachs of northern elephant seals sampled off the coast of California. It is an important prey item of the giant grenadier. It is also eaten by the enigmatic Perrin's beaked whale (Mesoplodon perrini).
References
- Barratt, I.; Allcock, L. (2014). "Octopoteuthis deletron". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T163334A999352. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T163334A999352.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- Julian Finn (2016). "Octopoteuthis deletron Young, 1972". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ Stromberg, Michael. "This Deep-Sea Squid Breaks Off Its Own Arms to Confuse Predators". Smithsonian.com. With video. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- Gorman, James (21 September 2011), "Amorous Squid Seeks Partner: Any Sex Will Do", The New York Times, New York, p. A1
- Le Beouf, Burney J.; Richard M. Laws (1994). Elephant Seals: Population ecology, behavior, and physiology. University of California Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 978-0-520-08364-6.
- Drazen, Jeffrey C; Buckley, Troy W; Hoff, Gerald R (2001). "The feeding habits of slope dwelling macrourid fishes in the eastern North Pacific". Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 48 (3): 909–935. Bibcode:2001DSRI...48..909D. doi:10.1016/S0967-0637(00)00058-3.
External links
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Octopoteuthis deletron | |
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