Brachioteuthis

[Gayla]

I am looking for pictures of Brachioteuthis beaks. I have Malcolm Clarke's Handbook (1986), but could use some more pictures. Does anyone know of a good source? The only other beak pictures I have is a NOAA Tech Report (NMFS 17) by Gary A. Wolff.
There are actually several families for which I could use more reference beaks. It would be nice to have a website database of beak pictures. Maybe I should start work on one ... someday. Ya know, like when I don't have anything else to do? I guess this is why biologists are packrats.
By the way ... is this the right forum for this question?
Thanks,
Gayla

[Steve O'Shea]

It is the right forum Gayla, but the systematics of Brachioteuthis are in a bit of a mess.

We have a single 'recognised' species in NZ waters, B. picta, but whether this is the correct name for the species isn't certain.

I can extract the beaks from one in a couple of days to post online, but I'm sure I'll find something online in the interim (Japanese dbases).

Cheers
Steve

[Gayla]

Thanks, Steve -
I'm going to try to get a camera in my lab next week to take some pictures of mine as well. I'm pulling beaks out of fairly intact squids that I'm keying to Brachioteuthidae (using FAO), and the beaks key to Histioteuthidae or Brachioteuthidae depending on if the lateral wall has a fin or ridge (respectively). If I have a whole squid, then no problem, I know that's a ridge. But for my loose beaks (I have 100's), it's sort of a toss-up sometimes whether I call it a ridge or fin (even cutting the lateral wall - especially if they are small. I think that Histioteuthidae may have a broad notch in the hood whereas Brachioteuthidae does not, but I'm not sure. Enoploteuthidae and Lycoteuthidae can complicate things, but I think I have those down. My id's are only to family, so taxonomic problems within families aren't too much of a problem.

It seems there should be more information about Brachioteuthidae ... they seem to be pretty common in my tuna guts ... unless I'm way off with my id's. I always do the body first, though, and the beak follows suit, so I'm getting more confident about it.

Thanks for the offer ... don't let me sidetrack you though! I'd feel bad if you spent too much time on it. I was sort of expecting that there was some obvious source out there that I wasn't finding.

Do you know if anyone's planning another beak workshop or book? I worked breifly with fish otoliths and found that much more information existed for them than it seems there is for squid beaks. Clarke's done such great work with his handbook, but we need perhaps some regional atlases of beaks. Kind of strange ... I never thought I'd be all that interested in this stuff. I'm a animal-behavior / evolutionary ecology type. I always wondered how anyone could stand describing bits and pieces of animals in a museum somewhere. I guess it starts by thinking that someone should really get some reference material out there, then you get more and more interested in that reference material until you decide to do it yourself. Then you're a goner, huh?

Gayla

[Melissa]

I always wondered how anyone could stand describing bits and pieces of animals in a museum somewhere. I guess it starts by thinking that someone should really get some reference material out there, then you get more and more interested in that reference material until you decide to do it yourself. Then you're a goner, huh?

I'm relieved to learn that this happens to others because this year's project is ... a reference work!

Nothing about it, pity.

Melissa

[Steve O'Shea]

Check out the following (for a picture of Brachioteuthis 'picta').

http://www.zen-ika.com/zukan/41-50/p47.html

I note with great interest that New Zealand is not within the recognised geographic distribution of this species. Like everything, detailed comparative work is required to determine the true systematic status of these supposedly cosmopolitan species. I think we can safely say that the systematics of the Brachioteuthidae is in chaos.

This one also:
http://www.google.co.nz/search?q=cac...n&ie=UTF-8

You might like to check out the following paper also:
Lipinski, M.R. 2001. Preliminary description of two news species of cephalopods (Cephalopoda: Brachioteuthidae) from South Atlantic and Antarctic waters. Bulletin of the Sea Fisheries Institute 1 (152): 3-14.

There are no pictures of beaks in the aforementioned, but if determining species (and generic) identifications is necessary you do need to be aware of this publication (a new genus is described, Slosarczykovia).

Will keep checking for Japanese websites for beak illustrations; I know they're online somewhere (Tsunemi Kubodera once showed me; I wish I had paid more attention!).

And this one (I'm afraid I don't have a copy myself; I understand that there is an illustration of Brachioteuthis ?picta beak therein):
Rodhouse P.G; Arnbom, T.R; Fedak M.A; Yeatman, J; Murray, A.W.A. (1992). Cephalopod prey of the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina L. Canadian Journal of Zoology 70: 1007-1015.

[o.vulgaris]

I guess this is why biologists are packrats.
By the way ... is this the right forum for this question?
Thanks,
Gayla

you seem to have us figured out :P , personally I alway's was fascinated with ceph's, don't know why but after getting my B.S. in marine biology I soon realized why I had dedicated so much time to this, it's a challenge for me, I had to endure long hour's of study time to get a passing grade on test's, test's that came up every day mind you, but it payed off and I'm now able to go to the nrcc, I can get my own private lab and so forth...oh did I get carried away with my stories again,ah it happen's, well bck to the topic.As for this being the right forum, of course it is, we got Mr.O to provide us the info,hehe. :D

[Gayla]

Thanks, Steve! Again, you're very generous with your time.
We have Canadian Journal of Zoology in the library here, so I'll pick up a copy next week - unless I'm lucky enough to get fieldwork going. If all goes well with the weather I'll be taking a week off from lab work. I'll let you know what I find out.

O.vulgaris - say hello to Jonathan @ NRCC for me. Tell him I know I still owe him ... and will get into the field I swear (I've been telling him that since March ... they don't call it gradual school for nothin').

Hopefully a Brachioteuthis update will come in a week or two.
-Gayla

[o.vulgaris]

O.vulgaris - say hello to Jonathan @ NRCC for me. Tell him I know I still owe him ... and will get into the field I swear (I've been telling him that since March ... they don't call it gradual school for nothin').

Hopefully a Brachioteuthis update will come in a week or two.
-Gayla

that I will, i'm not going to the nrcc yet but it's gonna be soon, as soon as I arrive I'll tell him what you said, you're name is gayla right, don't want to get the wrong name when I speak to him lol. :)