Rapp. Comm. int. Mer Médit., 36,2001
293
Introduction
The family of Cranchiidae is highly diversified and generally poor-
ly known (1). In the Mediterranean Sea only two species of the sub-
familyTaoniinae,G. armataandTeuthowenia megalopsare known
(2). Joubin’s original specimen of G. armatawas from Nice (3), but
the species is widely distributed in the North Temperate, North
Subtropical and Tropical regions to ~10° S of Atlantic Ocean and in
the Mediterranean Sea (4). Records of the species in the
Mediterranean Sea have been reported mainly for the western part
[Alboran Sea (5), SW Mediterranean (6,7,8), Catalan Sea (9,10),
Ligurian Sea (7,11), Tyrrhenian Sea (12), Strait of Messina
(7,13,14,15)] and only a single larva for the Central Mediterranean (8).
A new record of G. armatain the Mediterranean Sea is reported and
discussed in this note.
Materials and methods
The present specimen was collected during a deep-water trawl sur-
vey carried out in September 1999 in the northeastern Ionian Sea, in
the framework of the project “Interregional environmental studies in
the Ionian Sea (INTERREG II)”. A professional trawler of 78 tons
gross tonnage was used, equipped with a bottom trawl-net with
stretched mesh of 20 mm in the cod end. Hauls lasting from 30 to 60
minutes, were performed during day-light at a total of 34 sampling sta-
tions distributed in four depth strata : 300-500, 500-700, 700-900 and
900-1200 m.
The species was identified following the keys in Mangold and
Boletzky (16). The weight (in grams) and the morphometric measure-
ments (in millimeters) were taken after fixation in 5%. formalin solu-
tion
Results and discussion
The specimen found was in fairly good condition. Despite its ten-
tacular clubs were cut, in one of the remaining tentacles had one hook
which, together with the leaf-shaped fins ending to a long gladial tail,
enabled us to clearly identify it as Galiteuthis armata. It had a dorsal
mantle length of 231mm and weighed 8.2 g. The measurements (in
mm) of the arms and the beaks were : Arm I (right and left) length =
30; right arm II length = 41; left arm II length =38; arm III (right and
left) length = 46; right arm IV length = 51; left arm IV length =55;
maximum diameter of arm suckers = 1.15; upper hood length = 7.05;
upper crest length = 8.21; upper rostral length = 2.44; lower hood
length = 2.82; lower crest length = 5.77; lower rostral length = 1.99.
G. armata was caught off the western coasts of Kerkyra island (39°
29’N; 19° 42’E) at a depth of 1015 m. This is the second finding of
the species in the Central Mediterranean after that of Roper (8), con-
firming its occurrence in the Ionian Sea. The present specimen is one
of the largest collected in the Mediterranean Sea. Large individuals of
G. armata(ML >100mm) have been more frequently caught by bot-
tom trawls (5, 9) than by mid-water sampling gears (8), due probably
to their higher concentration near the bottom. Sub-adults of this
species have been shown to live in deep water below 600 m, whereas
early stages (ML< 30mm) have been taken from subsurface to 1000 m
(4, 9), indicating that the species exhibits ontogenetic descent (16) as
most of cranchids (1).
The relatively greater frequency of G. armataoccurrence in hauls
below 900 m and its high percentage in the stomach contents of sword-
fish fished in the Ligurian Sea (11), make us suspect a considerable
a
bundance of the species in the deep-water basins of the
Mediterranean Sea, although more sampling in the bathypelagic and
abyssopelagic zone is needed for confirmation.
References
1 - Roper C. and R.E. Young, 1975. Vertical distribution of pelagic
cephalopods. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology,Vol. 209 : 48pp
2 - Mangold, K. and Boletzky, S.V. 1988. Mediterranean Cephalopod
fauna. The Mollusca, 12 : 315-330.
3 - NAEF,A. (1923). Cephalopods. Fauna and Flora of the Bay of
Naples. Monograph No 35. Published for the Smithsonian Institution and
the National Science Foundation, Israel Program for Scientific
Translations. Jerusalem, 1972, 917 pp.
4 - Sweeny M.J., Roper C.F.E., Mangold K.M., Clarke M.R. and
Boletzky S.V.(eds), 1992. “Larval” and Juvenile Cephalopods : A Manual
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Vol. I. FAO, Rome, pp. 633-714.
NEW RECORD OF GALITEUTHIS ARMATA(CEPHALOPODA : CRANCHIIDAE)
IN THE MEDITERRANIAN SEA
Eugenia Lefkaditou
1
* and Porzia Maiorano
2
1
National Centre for Marine Research, Helliniko, Athens, Greece - teuthis@posidon.ncmr.gr
2
Department of Zoology, University of Bari, Italy
Abstract
The occurrence of Galiteuthis armata Joubin, 1898 (Cephalopoda : Cranchiidae) in the Eastern Ionian Sea, off the NW Greek coast, is
reported. One specimen was caught during a deep-water international trawl survey in September 1999. The squid was collected during
daylight hours at a depth of 1015 m and sized 231mm DML. Previous Mediterranean records of G. armataare reviewed. This finding
confirms the presence of the species in the Ionian Sea and extends its eastern longitudinal distribution in the Mediterranean Sea.
Keywords : Cephalopods, Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea
