Arrow Squids

The family is characterized by an inverted T-shaped funnel locking cartilage, biserial suckers on the arms, tetraserial suckers on the tentacular clubs (except Illex which has 8 rows of suckers on the dactylus), buccal connectives that attach to the dorsal borders of arms IV, photophores in some genera, and a muscular bridge anterior to the funnel locking cartilage which passes from the funnel to the ventral surface of the head. The inverted T-shaped funnel locking cartilage easily distinguishes this family from all others, even in the youngest stages. One genus, Symplectoteuthis, has the funnel mantle cartilages fused at a single point, but they are otherwise typical. Three subfamilies are currently recognized: Ommastrephinae, Todarodinae, and Illicinae. The Ommastrephinae is distinguished by the presence of a central pocket (foveola) and several side pockets in the funnel groove, and by the presence of photophores which are often deeply buried in the tissue of the mantle, head and arms. It comprises five genera: Ommastrephes, Symplectogeuthis, Dosidicus, Ornithoteuthis and Hyaloteuthis.