Introduction

Doryteuthis species are the common inshore squids of American waters. Several species (e.g., D. pealeii, D. opalescens) are targets of substantial fisheries. The genus is defined by geography and the absence of specific modifications that define other genera.

Brief diagnosis:

A loliginid ...

• with fins in adults rhomboidal, longer than broad, (length <70% of ML); mantle elongate, pointed posteriorly; cement body of spermatophore short.
• with a distribution in waters off the Americas.