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Natural egg mass deposition by the Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) in the Gulf of California and characteristics of hatchlings and paralarvae

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2008

Danna J. Staaf ,
Susana Camarillo-Coop ,
Steven H.D. Haddock ,
Al C. Nyack ,
John Payne ,
Cesar A. Salinas-Zavala ,
Brad A. Seibel ,
Lloyd Trueblood ,
Chad Widmer  and
William F. Gilly
Danna J. Staaf*
Affiliation:
Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Oceanview Boulevard, Pacific Grove, CA 93950USA
Susana Camarillo-Coop
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, SC Unidad Sonora. Mar Bermejo # 195 Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita. La Paz, B.C.S.Mexico
Steven H.D. Haddock
Affiliation:
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Rd., Moss Landing, CA 95039USA
Al C. Nyack
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 100 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI 02881USA
John Payne
Affiliation:
POST project, 13639 SW 224th Street, Vashon, WA 98070USA
Cesar A. Salinas-Zavala
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, SC Unidad Sonora. Mar Bermejo # 195 Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita. La Paz, B.C.S.Mexico
Brad A. Seibel
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 100 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI 02881USA
Lloyd Trueblood
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 100 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI 02881USA
Chad Widmer
Affiliation:
Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940USA
William F. Gilly
Affiliation:
Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Oceanview Boulevard, Pacific Grove, CA 93950USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Danna J. StaafHopkins Marine Station of Stanford UniversityOceanview Boulevard, Pacific Grove, CA 93950USA email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The jumbo or Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, is an important fisheries resource and a significant participant in regional ecologies as both predator and prey. It is the largest species in the oceanic squid family Ommastrephidae and has the largest known potential fecundity of any cephalopod, yet little is understood about its reproductive biology. We report the first discovery of a naturally deposited egg mass of Dosidicus gigas, as well as the first spawning of eggs in captivity. The egg mass was found in warm water (25–27°C) at a depth of 16 m and was far larger than the egg masses of any squid species previously reported. Eggs were embedded in a watery, gelatinous matrix and were individually surrounded by a unique envelope external to the chorion. This envelope was present in both wild and captive-spawned egg masses, but it was not present in artificially fertilized eggs. The wild egg mass appeared to be resistant to microbial infection, unlike the incomplete and damaged egg masses spawned in captivity, suggesting that the intact egg mass protects the eggs within. Chorion expansion was also more extensive in the wild egg mass. Hatchling behaviours included proboscis extension, chromatophore activity, and a range of swimming speeds that may allow them to exercise some control over their distribution in the wild.

Keywords

Humboldt squidjumbo squidDosidicus gigasommastrephidegg massrhynchoteuthion paralarvae
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 88 , Issue 4 , August 2008 , pp. 759 - 770
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

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