Cephalopoda |
Sepiida |
Sepiolidae | Sepiolinae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 1 m (Ref. 118073). Tropical; 25°N - 18°N, 170°W - 154°W
Eastern Central Pacific: Hawaiian Islands.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 3.0 cm ML male/unsexed; (Ref. 1695)
Adults have average mantle length of 2.5 cm. A model organism exhibiting short lifespan, rapid growth, and year-round availability (Ref. 118073). Small, benthic squid (Ref. 118073) found in shallow coastal waters (Refs. 843, 1695), living in muddy and sandy areas near seagrass meadows (Ref. 118075). Hosts a symbiotic luminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri, the sole bacterium found to naturally thrive in E. scolopes light organ. This symbiont colony reaches as much as 10^9 cells, and remains remarkably monospecific (Ref. 118072). The microbial colony serves as an antipredation measure for the squid, while the microbe gets shelter and nutrition from the squid. When E. scolopes forages at night, the bacterial colony emit light which matches the intensity of the moonlight above it, thus reducing the host's silhouette, preventing it from being eaten by predators in the ocean floor below (Ref. 118071). It also uses another form of camouflage by sticking sand grains to its body (Ref. 118075). A nocturnal predator, the squid finds shelter in the sand during the day and hunts at night over shallow-water sand flats (Ref. 118073). Mainly feeds on the shrimp Palaemon debilis but also consumes small worms (Ref. 122680).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Cephalopoda are gonochoric. Male and female adults usually die shortly after spawning and brooding, respectively. Mating behavior: Males perform various displays to attract potential females for copulation. During copulation, male grasp the female and inserts the hectocotylus into the female's mantle cavity where fertilization usually occurs. Life cycle: Embryos hatch into planktonic stage and live for some time before they grow larger and take up a benthic existence as adults.
Jereb, P. and C.F.E. Roper (eds.). 2005. (Ref. 1695)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
| FishSource |
Tools
More information
Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvaeLarval dynamics Human RelatedAquaculture profiles
Stamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 24.8 - 25.6, mean 25.3 (based on 36 cells).
Vulnerability
Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category
Unknown.