Occurrence of large mature Diamond-back squid Thysanoteuthis major (Cephalopoda: Thysanoteuthidae) from the southeastern Arabian Sea with remarks on its biology

Sajikumar, K K and Retheesh, T B and Sasikumar, Geetha and Nair, Rekha J and Akhil, A R and Mohamed, K S (2024) Occurrence of large mature Diamond-back squid Thysanoteuthis major (Cephalopoda: Thysanoteuthidae) from the southeastern Arabian Sea with remarks on its biology. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India, 66 (2). pp. 79-84. ISSN 0025-3146

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Abstract

This article provides evidence of mature male and female Thysanoteuthis major caught from the southeastern Arabian Sea. The mature individuals had a dorsal mantle length (DML) of 570 to 670 mm. The detailed measurements of the individuals’ morphometric features and indices are presented. Microstructural analysis of statoliths showed that the female individual was 194 days old with a 3.63 mm DML/day growth rate and the male had an age of 158 and 168 days with a growth rate of 3.38 and 3.62 mm DML/day. Two parasite species were found in the female stomach identified as genera cestode Phyllobothrium sp. and nematode Anisakis simplex. The presence of mature individuals provided further evidence that the southeastern Arabian Sea may be a spawning ground for the species.

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