NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCE OF OCTOPOTEUTHIS SICULA RÜPPELL, 1844 (CEPHALOPODA: OCTOPOTEUTHIDE) IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN

NOTE SUL RITROVAMENTO DI OCTOPOTEUTHIS SICULA RÜPPELL, 1844 (CEPHALOPODA: OCTOPOTEUTHIDE) NEL MEDITERRANEO OCCIDENTALE

Abstract

Two specimens of the meso-bathypelagic Cephalopod Octopoteuthis sicula Rüppell, 1844 were found in 2012 and 2024 in the by-catch of trawl fishery targeting red shrimps, in the waters off Sardinia and Liguria, at depths of 568 and 470 m, respectively. The knowledge on this species is limited, due to the scarce catches. The two specimens, measuring 17.7 and 15.3 cm Dorsal Mantle Length were fully mature males. Morphometric and meristic data were collected for both individuals, and a description of the reproductive apparatus was provided. The peculiarity is the long terminal organ (65 and 72 mm in the two samples), that extends beyond the mantle cavity; it is used to transfer the spermatangia (discharged spermatophores) in the mantle tissue of the females. Such characteristic, common to other Cephalopods, seems to be a strategy to guarantee the reproductive success in deep-water environments.