Firefly squid
Encyclopedia
The Sparkling Enope Squid (Watasenia scintillans), also known as the Firefly Squid, is a species of squid
in the family Enoploteuthidae
. It is the sole species in the genus
Watasenia.
. Each tentacle has an organ called a photophore, which produces light. When flashed, these lights attract small fish, which the squid can then feed upon.
The Sparkling Enope Squid is the only species of cephalopod in which evidence of color vision has been found. While most cephalopods have only one visual pigment, firefly squid have three, along with a double-layered retina. These adaptations for color vision may have evolved to enable firefly squid to distinguish between ambient light and bioluminescence.
The Sparkling Enope Squid measures about 3 inches long at maturity and dies after one year of life. It has the standard eight arms and two tentacles, with one pair each having three bright light-emitting organs at the tips.
The Sparkling Enope Squid spends the day at depths of several hundred metres, returning to the surface when night falls. The combination of light-sensing and light-producing organs enable it to match its underside to the brightness and colour coming from the surface (counterillumination), making it hard for predators from below to detect it.
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
in the family Enoploteuthidae
Enoploteuthidae
Enoploteuthidea is a family of squid comprising approximately 40 species in 4 genera. Most species have a mantle length ranging from 3-13 cm. Hooks are present on all arms and tentacles...
. It is the sole species in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Watasenia.
Species characteristics
The Sparkling Enope Squid is found in the Western Pacific ocean at depths of 183 to 366 metres (600 - 1200 feet) and exhibits bioluminescenceBioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
. Each tentacle has an organ called a photophore, which produces light. When flashed, these lights attract small fish, which the squid can then feed upon.
The Sparkling Enope Squid is the only species of cephalopod in which evidence of color vision has been found. While most cephalopods have only one visual pigment, firefly squid have three, along with a double-layered retina. These adaptations for color vision may have evolved to enable firefly squid to distinguish between ambient light and bioluminescence.
The Sparkling Enope Squid measures about 3 inches long at maturity and dies after one year of life. It has the standard eight arms and two tentacles, with one pair each having three bright light-emitting organs at the tips.
The Sparkling Enope Squid spends the day at depths of several hundred metres, returning to the surface when night falls. The combination of light-sensing and light-producing organs enable it to match its underside to the brightness and colour coming from the surface (counterillumination), making it hard for predators from below to detect it.