Loligo forbesii (sometimes erroneously[3] spelled forbesi), known commonly as the veined squid and long-finned squid, is a commercially important species of squid in the family Loliginidae, the pencil squids.
This squid grows up to 90 centimetres (35 in) in mantle length. The long fins are roughly diamond-shaped and make up two thirds of the total length of the body. The colour of the squid is variable, but is usually a shade of pink, red, or brown. The vestigial shell is a small, thin internal structure.[4]
Loligo forbesii can be found in the seas around Europe, its range extending through the Red Sea toward the East African coast.[5] It is widespread in the Atlantic Ocean.[6] It is one of the most common cephalopods in the Celtic Sea.[7]
The squid lives at depths of 10 to 500 metres (33 to 1,640 ft). It attains sexual maturity at about one year old and lives 1 to 2 years, with a maximum life span of about 3 years. It generally breeds only once. The male delivers sperm into the mantle of the female using structures on a specialized tentacle. The female will spawn up to 100,000 eggs, which adhere to the sea floor.[6] Peak spawning season is in January through March off Scotland, with recruitment of juveniles occurring in the fall.[8] Off Galicia the breeding season lasts from December to May, with most mating occurring in December through February.[9]
The diet includes fish, polychaetes, crustaceans, and other cephalopods,[10] often members of its own species.[6]
This is one of the most common squid species fished in the United Kingdom.[11]
Loligo forbesii (sometimes erroneously spelled forbesi), known commonly as the veined squid and long-finned squid, is a commercially important species of squid in the family Loliginidae, the pencil squids.
