Records of giant squid in the north-eastern Atlantic, and two records of male Architeuthis sp. off the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

A review of the verified reports to date of Architeuthis spp. showed that 33·9% (115 specimens) of worldwide reports were derived from the north-eastern Atlantic. The sex of each specimen, nature of the report, as well as the season and area of collection are presented. Biological data are presented on the two first males of Architeuthis sp. captured off the Iberian Peninsula. The first male (42 kg and 98 cm mantle length) was caught at 43°54·26′N 5°29·38′W by pair trawlers on 13 September 2002. Spermatophores ranged from 11 to 20 cm in length. The peculiar observation of other spermatophores embedded in the skin near the proximal part of the ventral, ventro-lateral and dorso-lateral arms is discussed. The second male (66 kg and 122 cm mantle length) was found floating on the surface off Gijón on 16 September 2003. Although mature, no spermatophores embedded in the skin were observed. A comparison was undertaken of several morphometric measurements between these two males and five other north-eastern Atlantic males from which data were available.