Vampyroteuthis infernalis   Chun, 1903

Vampire squid

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Vampyroteuthis infernalis  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Cephalopoda | Vampyromorpha | Vampyroteuthidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Pelagic; depth range 100 - 3000 m (Ref. 110525), usually 900 - 1100 m (Ref. 106682).  Tropical; 44°N - 35°S, 180°W - 180°E (Ref. 96968)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Circumglobal in tropical and temperate waters.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 13.0 cm ML male/unsexed; (Ref. 96968)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Total length is up to 30 cm (Ref. 96968). One type of a living fossil which showed very little change since it first appeared. The species could turn itself 'inside out' to avoid predators. Inhabits deep waters of open oceans (Ref. 843). Depths range from 600 to 1,200 m. This is a mid-water species. The long filaments in pits between the first two arm pairs may be used to feel for or chemically detect prey. Live animals observed in situ typically orient in the water column with the dorsal mantle surface facing upwards and one filament extended well beyond the arms. Disturbed animals pull the arms and web over their body to take on an inverted shape that exposes the black skin and cirri, on the oral surfaces of the webs. In addition to the large four photophores, this species can produce light on its arm tips and squirt luminous clouds from the arm tips consisting of discrete glowing particles, which can glow for up to 10 minutes (Ref. 96968).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Members of the class Cephalopoda are gonochoric. Male and female adults usually die shortly after spawning and brooding, respectively. Mating behavior: Males perform various displays to attract potential females for copulation. During copulation, male grasp the female and inserts the hectocotylus into the female's mantle cavity where fertilization usually occurs. Life cycle: Embryos hatch into planktonic stage and live for some time before they grow larger and take up a benthic existence as adults.

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Jereb, P., C.F.E. Roper, M.D. Norman and J.K. Finn. 2014. (Ref. 96968)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Human uses


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Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Common names
Synonyms
Predators
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Morphology
Larvae
Abundance
References
Mass conversion
Collaborators
Pictures

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 3.4 - 11.6, mean 5.7 (based on 2508 cells).
Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.