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First field observation of naturally-laid eggs of Loligo forbesi (Cephalopoda: Myopsida), through a remotely operated vehicle in the Azores

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2011

Gilberto P. Carreira*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Frederico Machado, 9900 Horta, Azores, Portugal
Christopher K. Pham
Affiliation:
Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Frederico Machado, 9900 Horta, Azores, Portugal
Fernando Tempera
Affiliation:
Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Frederico Machado, 9900 Horta, Azores, Portugal
João M.A. Gonçalves
Affiliation:
Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Frederico Machado, 9900 Horta, Azores, Portugal
Filipe M. Porteiro
Affiliation:
Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Frederico Machado, 9900 Horta, Azores, Portugal
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: G.P. Carreira, Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Frederico Machado, 9900 Horta, Azores, Portugal email: carreira@uac.pt
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Abstract

An egg mass of Loligo forbesi was observed in the field for the first time while conducting a remotely operated vehicle dive at a depth of 370 m, off the São Jorge Island (Azores, north-east Atlantic). This observation allowed the confirmation of two hypotheses previously suggested for the reproduction of this species: (i) that in the Azores this species spawns deeper than the previously recorded 144 m; and that (ii) it is likely that this species prefers to spawn within cavities. The way the observed egg strings suspended from the roof of a cavity, underneath a rocky block, surrounded by sediment, is a feature that interestingly seems to be shared between L. forbesi (in the Azores, all the previous naturally-laid egg masses were recovered from within cavities) and L. vulgaris that inhabit shallower waters off the Madeira archipelago.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2011

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References

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