Description of Ommastrephes bartramii (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) Paralarvae with Evidence for Spawning in Hawaiian Waters

Abstract

Paralarvae of the commercially important squid Ommastrephes bartramii are described, and particular attention is paid to the chromatophore patterns. These chromatophore patterns are compared with those of Stenot euthis oualaniensis and Hyaloteuthis pelagica , two other local ommastrephids with similar patterns. Limited data on spatial and temporal distributions of the paralarvae are also presented. Paralarvae of O. bartramii have been found at several localities along the Hawaiian Archipelago between Oahu and Midway Islands. In 1986 O. bartramii probably spawned in southern Hawaiian waters around the island of Oahu from, at least, the latter part of February through March. During April 1979 and April 1984 the absence of paralarvae from these same waters suggests that either the spawning period terminated earlier or the squid did not spawn as far south as in 1986. High abundances of O. bartramii paralarvae in some April 1979 samples suggest that spawning was more intense in the northwestern half of the Hawaiian Archipelago.