New records of the scaled squid, Lepidoteuthis grimaldii Joubin, 1895 in the Canary Islands, Eastern Atlantic Ocean

7 SPIXIANA 40 1 7-12 München, August 2017 ISSN 0341-8391 New records of the scaled squid, Lepidoteuthis grimaldii Joubin, 1895 in the Canary Islands, Eastern Atlantic Ocean (Cephalopoda, Oegopsida, Lepidoteuthidae) Alejandro Escánez, Ángel Guerra, Francisco Rocha & Fernando Lozano-Soldevilla Escánez, A., Guerra, Á., Rocha, F. & Lozano-Soldevilla, F. 2017. New records of the scaled squid, Lepidoteuthis grimaldii Joubin, 1895 in the Canary Islands, Eastern Atlantic Ocean (Cephalopoda, Oegopsida, Lepidoteuthidae). Spixiana 40 (1): 7-12. Two well conserved female specimens of the uncommon soft-scaled squid Lepidoteuthis grimaldii Joubin, 1895 (Lepidoteuthidae, Oegopsida) were caught in Canary Island waters: a maturing female of 580 mm dorsal mantle length found dead on the surface at 27°38' N, 18°01' W (near El Hierro Island); an immature female of 350 mm dorsal mantle length captured by commercial open midwater trawl at 28°48' N, 16°00' W (north of Tenerife Island), between 342 and 487 m depth. This is the first report of an adult of this species from the Canary Islands. Morphological data are presented and the bathymetric distribution of this species in Canary waters is discussed. Alejandro Escánez & Francisco Rocha, BioCephALab Cephalopod Biology and Aquaculture Laboratory, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Edificio de Ciencias Experimentais, Campus As Lagoas-Marcosende, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain; e-mail: [email protected] Ángel Guerra, ECOBIOMAR, Grupo de Ecología y Biodiversidad Marina, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas de Vigo-CSIC, C/Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208 Vigo, Spain Fernando Lozano-Soldevilla, Departamento de Biología Animal y Edafología y Geología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Laguna, Avenida Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez S/N, Campus Universitario de Anchieta, 38206 San Cristobal de La Laguna, Spain Introduction Our knowledge on the biodiversity, biology and distribution of oceanic cephalopod species is unequal. Pelagic species with high fishery potential, such as Ommastrephidae, have been intensively studied (Hoving 2008, Jereb & Roper 2010) in contrast to those with low commercial value. For different reasons (small mouth areas of midwater nets, trawl speeds, evasion behaviour, etc.), large oceanic and deep-sea cephalopods are rarely caught using direct sampling techniques at sea (Clarke 1977, 2006). However, there are several effective techniques for paralarvae or juvenile stages of large species and adults of small species (e. g. Moreno et al. 2009). At present, one of these poorly known species is the scaled squid, Lepidoteuthis grimaldii Joubin, 1895. This large squid reaches sizes of up to 100 cm dorsal mantle length (DML) and is characterised by its distinctive hexagonal shaped dermal cushion, formerly called “scaled”, that covers the mantle except for the posteroventral part under the posterior half of the fins. Adults are also characterised by the loss of tentacles (Nesis & Nikitina 1990, Jereb & Roper 2010). Lepidoteuthis grimaldii is a sexually dimorphic species in which mature females attain twice the size 8 A BA B Fig. 1. The two Lepidoteuthis grimaldii collected in the Canary Islands. A. Ventral view of the female caught in El Hierro Island. B. Dorsal view of the female captured on the north side of Tenerife Island. Scale bars = 20 cm. of mature males. Mature males lack a hectocotylus and have a relatively long terminal organ (penis), which projects freely for a considerable portion of the organ’s length (Jackson & O’Shea 2009). Lepidoteuthis grimaldii inhabits tropical and subtropical oceans with disjunct records in the Pacific Ocean (Hawaii, Japan, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmanian Sea) and a broad distribution in the Atlantic Ocean (Clarke 1962, Clarke 2006, Jereb & Roper 2010). The vertical distribution of this species is unclear. Paralarvae have been fished as shallow as 100 m at night while young and subadult stages have been collected at 700 m day and night. Until now, only three large specimens have been fished, all of them in bottom trawls between 812-1100 m depth suggesting that L. grimaldii is a demersal species (Jackson & O’Shea 2009, Jereb & Roper 2010, Young & Vecchione 2016). In contrast, scaled squid has been commonly reported in predator stomach contents, such as sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758, and as young stages in plankton hauls (see Table 2). 9 Fig. 3. Lepidoteuthis grimaldii beak aspect. A. Upper and lower beak of maturing female (580 mm DML). B. Upper and lower beak of immature female (330 mm DML). Scale bars = 0.5 cm. A BA B A BA B Fig. 2. A. L. grimaldii female in stage III of maturation, collected in El Hierro (580 mm DML). B. Female in stage II of maturation captured on the north side of Tenerife Island (330 mm DML). 1 = ovary; 2 = nidamental gland. 10 Table 1. Measurements of Lepidoteuthis grimaldii specimens caught in the Canary Islands between 2011 and 2013. All measurements in mm. Measurements Specimen 1 El Hierro 25/05/2013 Specimen 2 Tenerife 20/04/2012 Dorsal mantle length 580 330 Ventral mantle length 545 310 Mantle width 183 110 Fin length 225 158 Fin width 215 150 Head length 100 95 Head width 60 45 Funnel length 90 45 Funnel width 80 35 Funnel cartilage length 50 27.58 Right Arms Arms length I 355 sectioned Arms length II 320 270 Arms length III 300 130 Arms length IV sectioned sectioned Left Arms Arms length I 315 sectioned Arms length II 355 sectioned Arms length III 335 sectioned Arms length IV 280 293 Weight (g) 2700 545.89 Upper beak Upper hood length 32.45 19.96 Upper rostrum length 15.75 9.35 Upper crest length 58.80 30.96 Lower beak Lower hood length 7.50 5.92 Lower rostrum length 15.20 8.48 Lower crest length 19.40 13.10 Lower wing length 12.00 8.91 Sex Female Female Maturity stage III II Clarke (1964) reported for the first time the capture of two young individuals in the “Canary Islands region”. Other records of this species in the archipelago are beaks found in stomach contents of stranded cetaceans (Fernández et al. 2009, Hernández-García & Martín 1994) and slender alfonsino, Beryx splendens Lowe, 1834 (Dürr & González 2002), captured in the area. The captures of two large scaled squid in the Canary Islands, which we present in this communication, represent the first record of adult specimen in the region. These individuals allow us to report additional morphometric and biological data from this uncommon deep-sea squid species. Methods Two specimens of the scaled squid were captured in Canary Archipelago waters. Specimen 1 was found dead in El Hierro Island (Mar de Las Calmas) surface waters at 27°38' N, 18°01' W, during cetacean photoidentification surveys on 25 May of 2013. Specimen 2 was caught on 20 April 2012 by RV Cornide de Saavedra during the “CETOBAPH” mesopelagic survey, at 28°48' N, 16°00' W (north of Tenerife) at a fishing depth between 342 to 487 m over a seafloor of 2000 m. The fishing gear employed was a commercial open midwater trawl with a modified cod-end (10 mm mesh size). Both specimens were frozen on board. Identification was based on the diagnostic characters given by Nesis & Nikitina (1990) and Jereb & Roper (2010). After defrosting specimens at room temperature, sex was identified and measurements were taken following Roper & Voss (1983). Radula and beaks from each specimen were removed and measured following Clarke (1962). Beak pigmentation stage was determined using the scale of Fang et al. (2016). Maturity was assessed according to Lipinski (1979). Results and discussion Morphometric characters of the body and beak, weight, sex and maturity stage of both specimens are presented in Table I. Specimen 1 (Fig. 1A) was a 580 mm DML, stage III female (Fig. 2A). Its enlarged nidamental glands (180 mm length) covered some internal organs; no mature oocytes were observed in the oviducts, which were still not very swollen. Immature oocytes were observed in the ovary (Fig. 2A). Specimen 2 was a 350 mm DML stage II (immature) female (Fig. 2B). Internal organs of both specimens were in very good condition. The radula is formed by seven rows of teeth, with a tricuspid rachidian tooth; small lateral cusps. First lateral tooth externally bicuspid; small lateral cusp. Second lateral and marginal row with conical teeth, slightly curved towards the middle row, in agreement with Clarke & Maul (1962). Beaks of specimen 1 and 2 were at pigmentation stages 5 and 3 respectively (Fang et al. 2016). In comparison, beaks of female Ommastrephes bartramii (Lesueur, 1821) between 330-430 mm DML were at pigmentation stages 3 and 4, while adults over 400 mm DML were at pigmentation stages 6 and 7 (Fang et al. 2016). The dissimilarity in pigmentation pattern may be due to the different maximum sizes 11 Table 2. Records of Lepidoteuthis grimaldii in the literature. n = number of specimens; DML = dorsal mantle length; ind. = indeterminate; – = no data. Method Location n Sex DML (mm) Depth (m) Reference Bottom trawl Tasmania, Cascade Rise 1 male 442 950-1100 Jackson & O’Shea 2009 Bottom trawl New Zealand, Chatham Rise 1 female 617 812 Young & Vecchione 2016 Bottom trawl New Zealand 1 immature 270 – Jackson & O’Shea 2009 Bottom trawl New Zealand 1 – > 500 – Jackson & O’Shea 2009 Plankton trawl Gulf of Guinea 1 young stages 29.4-39.1 50-23 Lu & Clarke 1975 Plankton trawl Azores Island 1 young stages – – Clarke 2006 Plankton trawl Spain, Galician Bank 4 young stages – – Clarke 2006 Plankton trawl Spain, Canary Region 2 young stages 60-85 – Clarke 1964 Plankton trawl Madeira island 1 young stages – – Clarke 2006 Plankton trawl Abyssal plain near Madeira 1 young stages – – Clarke 2006 Stomach content Azores Island 3 2 females + 1 ind. 720-860 – Joubin 1895, 1900 Stomach content Madeira Island 9 4 females + 5 ind. 155-970 – Clarke 1960, Clarke & Maul 1962 Stomach content South Atlantic 1 female 510 – Merret 1963 of the two species, which is 600 mm in O. bartramii and 1000 mm in L. grimaldii, but may also be due to distinct growth rates and feeding habits (Fang et al. 2016). The cause of death of the specimen 1 is unknown. It was found in very good condition and floating in the surface waters of El Hierro Island (Mar de Las Calmas). This is an area of the Canary Islands frequently used by a resident beaked whale population, and where mesopelagic and benthopelagic fauna remains floating at the surface; for example, hatchet fish Argyropelecus spp. Cocco, 1829 and histioteuthid squid are frequently found (Escánez et al. 2011). The depth where specimen 2 was caught is consistent with the known bathymetric distribution of L. grimaldii, which is reported as a mesopelagic to bathypelagic species (Jereb & Roper 2010). Acknowledgements This work has been supported by the project “Cetáceos, Oceanografía y Biodiversidad de las Aguas Profundas de La Palma y El Hierro” funded by “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” of the Spanish Government, grant number CETOBAPH-CGL2009-1311218. 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