New Zealand Arrow Squid

Nototodarus sloanii (Gray, 1849)

Nototodarus sloanii (Gray, 1849) occurs in New Zealand continental shelf waters southward from the northern boundary of the Subtropical Convergence Zone (∼40°S) to the Auckland Islands (51°S) and the Campbell Islands (53°S) where bottom depths vary from 50 m to 500 m. The jig fishery for this species has concentrated where sea surface temperatures vary from 11.9° C to 16.5° C. Nototodarus sloanii is most abundant on the continental shelf in depths of less than 200 m (Mattlin et al., 1985). In the north, its distribution overlaps that of N. gouldi (Smith et al., 1987), and in the south, it has been jigged and trawled together with Todarodes filippovae Adam, 1975, and Martialia hyadesi (Kawakami, 1976; Uozumi et al., 1990).

Larvae of N. sloanii appear to be distributed only on the continental shelf and near submarine canyons. Off the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand where the shelf is very narrow, concentrations have been quite localized near the submarine canyons during winter sampling for ichthyoplank- ton (Dunning and Förch, 1998).

Nototodarus sloanii (Gray, 1849)

Ommastrephes sloanii Gray, 1849:61.

Ommatostrephes sagittatus var. sloanei.—Hoyle, 1909:272 [part].

? Nototodarus insignis Pfeffer, 1912:434, pl. 31.

Ommatostrephes sloanei sloanei.—Pfeffer, 1912:458, pl. 34: figs. 1, 2, 7 [part].

Nototodarus sloanii.—Powell, 1946:99.

Nototodarus sloanii sloanii.—Dell, 1952:105, fig. 7, pls. 21–25 [part].

Nototodarus sloani sloani.—Voss, 1962:175.

Nototodarus sloani.—Kawakami and Okutani, 1981:17: figs. 1A,B, 2.

DIAGNOSIS.—Arms I with more than 60 pairs of suckers, hectocotylized right arm IV with single row of slender, conical papillae distally, ventral protective membrane with supports expanded only opposite extreme tip of arm (Figure 1a).

ORIGINAL REFERENCE.—Gray, 1849:61.

DEPOSITION OF TYPES.—Holotype: Smith et al. (1987) considered the holotype to be an immature female, 279 mm ML (with old, printed label, “Ommatostrephes sloanii New Zealand,” and newer, handwritten label, “Nototodarus sloanii (Gray), loc. New Zealand”), that is in The Natural History Museum, London, England (formerly the British Museum (Natural History)), without registration number, in alcohol, and in poor condition. Gray's type specimen came from Waitemata Harbor, northeast coast of New Zealand (36°40′S), which is outside the present range of N. sloanii, but this location was stated unequivocally (Smith et al., 1987).

Paratypes: None designated, although a second specimen was described by Gray (1849).