Abraliopsis (Boreabraliopsis) felis McGowan and Okutani 1968

Introduction

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Figure. Ventral view of A. felis, 35 mm ML, preserved. Photograph by R. Young.

	A.(Boreabraliopsis) felis	A. (Abraliopsis) spp.
Scattered photophore pattern, head and mantle.	Yes	Yes
Size of large ventral:dorsal club hooks	~3:1	~3:1
Spermatangia receptacles	Dorsal colllar only	Dorsal colllar only
Club keel	No	Yes
Carpal flap	No	Yes
Dorsal flap on hectocotylus	Large (~= ventral flap)	Absent to small (0 - 1/3 ventral flap)
Length of arms IV	Small (40-65%  of ML)	Moderate to large (~70-100% of ML)
Fin width	Small (70-83% of ML)	Moderate to large (~90-110% of ML)
Funnel-groove photophore pattern	Simple Pattern: (red only)	Moderate Pattern: (red, blue, cyan)

A. felis is the only cool-temperate species in the genus Abraliopsis. It is found in the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone and the California Current.

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Figure. Ventral view of A. felis, 41 mm ML. Drawing from Young (1972).

Characteristics

1. Tentacle clubs
   1. Two series of hooks on manus; ventral hooks moderately larger (in a relative sense) than dorsal hooks.
   2. Carpal flap absent; aboral keel short, narrow.
      
      

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      Figure. Oral view of the tentacular club of A. felis, 40 mm ML, off Southern California. Drawing from Young (1972).

2. Arms
   1. Arms IV relatively short; ALI IV = 40-65.
   2. Arms I-III with 15 to 20 hooks and 12-26 suckers. 
   3. Arms IV (non-hectocotylus) with13-15 hooks.
   4. Large distal suckers with about 7-10 slender teeth on distal half of inner ring.
      
      
3. Hectocotylus
   1. Hectocotylus, right arm IV (occasionally both arms IV), with two subequal-sized offset flaps: proximal flap on ventral margin, distal flap on dorsal margin. 
   2. Arm with 10-12 small hooks; hook series terminates proximal to dorsal flap.
      
      

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      Figure. Oral view of arms of A. felis, off Southern California. Top - Hectocotylus showing extend of dorsal and ventral flaps, 38 mm ML. Photograph by R. Young. Bottom - Both ventral arms,  41 mm ML. Note the lack of membranes on the left arm IV. Drawing from Young (1972).

4. Head
   
   1. Beaks: Descriptions can be found here: Lower beak; upper beak.
      
      
5. Integumental Photophores
   1. Ventral mantle and head with scattered arrangement of integumental organs.
6. Measurements and counts (from Young, 1972):
   
   

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Behavior

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Figure. Posterolateral view of A. felis taken in situ at 362 m from an ROV in Monterey Canyon. © 2013 MBARI.

Distribution

Vertical Distribution

In the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone, this species were occurred abundantly between 0-50m during night.

Off California, A. felis was captured, using open nets, primarily between 300-600 m during the day and in the upper 100 m at night (Roper and Young, 1975).

Geographical Distribution

A. felis is the only cool-temperate species in the genus Abraliopsis. Its distribution extends from the northern Northwest Pacific at 145° E along the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone, eastward to northwestern coast of America, and in the California Current southward to northern Baja California (Young, 1972).

Other Names for Abraliopsis (Boreabraliopsis) felis McGowan and Okutani 1968

• Abraliopsis (Boreabraliopsis) Tsuchiya & Okutani, 1988

References

Tsuchiya, K. 1993. Distribution and zoogeography of the family Enoploteuthidae in the Northwest Pacific. In: Okutani, T., O’Dor, R. K. and Kubodera, T. (eds.) 1993. Recent advances in fisheries biology (Tokai University Press. Tokyo). pp. 571-585.

Okutani, T. and McGowan, J.A. 1969. Systematics, Distribution, and abundance ofthe epiplanktonic squid (Cephalopoda, Decapoda) larvae of the California Current. Bull. Scripps Inst. Oceanogr., 14:1-90.

Roper, C. F. E. and R. E. Young. 1975. Vertical distribution of pelagic cephalopods. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 209: 1-51.

Young, R.E. 1972. The systematics and areal distribution of pelagic cephalopods from the sea off southern California. Smiths. Contr. Zool., 97:1-159.