{{Short description|Genus of squids}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Speciesbox | image = Australiteuthis aldrichi.jpg | image_caption = Holotype of ''Australiteuthis aldrichi''<br />(21.3 mm ML) | grandparent_authority = Lu, 2005 | genus = Australiteuthis | parent_authority = Lu, 2005 | species = aldrichi | authority = Lu, 2005<ref name = WoRMS>{{cite web | url = http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=342275 | title = ''Australiteuthis aldrichi'' Lu, 2005 | accessdate = 20 February 2018 | publisher = Flanders Marine Institute | author = Julian Finn | year = 2016 | work = World Register of Marine Species}}</ref>
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'''''Australiteuthis aldrichi''''' is a small species of squid found in northern Australian waters. The species was described by Chung Cheng Lu in 2005 based on specimens collected in the inshore waters of Northern Australia. The largest known individual of this species is a mature female measuring {{cvt|27.6|mm}} in mantle length (ML). The holotype is a mature male of {{cvt|21.3|mm}} ML. A live specimen of ''A. aldrichi'' has yet to be recorded.
''A. aldrichi'' is a member of the class Cephalopoda and part of the subclass Coleoidea. Within this class there are two orders, the Myopsida and the Oegopsida, which both fall under the superorder Decapodiformes. ''A. aldrichi'' falls under the order of Myopsida, and is the only member of its genus, ''Australiteuthis,'' and the family, Australiteuthidae.
==Order== The Myopsida order is made up of two families, the ''Australiteuthidae'' and ''Loliginidae.'' The squid which fall under the order of Myopsida are nertic squid that typically dwell in shallow waters and appear in large schools. Within the family of ''Loliginidae'', species such as the ''Loligo forbesii'', also known as the veined and long-finned squid, may reach sizes up to {{cvt|90|cm}} in mantle length.<ref name="tolweb.org">Vecchione, Michael and Richard E. Young. 2016. Myopsida Naef, 1916. Version 29 August 2016. http://tolweb.org/Myopsida/52670/2016.08.29 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org</ref> ''A. aldrichi'', however, are much more similar in size to members of the genus Pickfordiateuthis,<ref>{Vecchione, Michael. 2008. Pickfordiateuthis Voss, 1953. Grass squid. Version 04 March 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Pickfordiateuthis/19861/2008.03.04</ref> more commonly known as dwarf squid, as males of the ''A. aldrichi'' species have been observed to reach {{cvt|17|mm}} in mantle length at a fully mature state.
==Characteristics of Myopsida== Members of the Myopsida order exhibit the following characteristics:<ref name="tolweb.org"/>
# Arms and tentacles that contain circular muscles. # Tentacles that are clubbed without a proximal locking-apparatus. # The head contains tentacle pockets. # The eyes contain a corneal membrane covering lens instead of a secondary eyelid. # A funnel that does not contain adductor muscles. # A mantle which contains a mantle locking apparatus. # A shell underneath the mantle. # Viscera and gills with a branchial canal. # Eggs that contain a large external yolk sac.
==Habitat== thumb|Documented locations of Australiteuthis in Australia Specimens of ''A. aldrich'' have been found in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf of Western Australia, the inshore waters of the Northern Territory of Australia as well as the Gulf of Papua in New Guinea. (PNG). It has been theorized that the species may live along the coastal regions in Australia and Papua New Guinea.<ref name="fao.org">Jereb, P., Roper, C.F.E. & Vecchione, M. (2010). Family Australiteuthidae. P. Jereb & C.F.E. Roper, eds. Cephalopods of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of species known to date. Volume 2. Myopsid and Oegopsid Squids. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 4, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. pp. 35-37. http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i1920e/i1920e.pdf</ref> The species has never been found alive and is only known from a handful of specimens collected in these areas. These ''A. aldrichi'' specimens were collected at depths between {{convert|9|m|ft}} to {{convert|61|m|ft}} by fishermen using beam trawls. It has also been speculated that the species may be a benthic squid but it is not yet truly known.<ref name="fao.org"/>
==Biology== ''A. aldrichi'' have been found at depths ranging from {{convert|9|m|ft}} to {{convert|61|m|ft}} and are speculated to live within the benthic zone. From the specimens collected, mature males may have a mantle length of {{convert|17|mm|cm}} and mature females may have a mantle length of over {{convert|22|mm|cm}}.<ref name=":0">http://tolweb.org/Australiteuthis_aldrichi/52671/2005.09.20 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/</ref> The species has large, separate, round fins with free anterior and posterior lobes as well as a large dumbbell-shaped photophore.<ref name=":0" /> Other biological features of the species include a deep tentacular pocket, tricuspid rachidial teeth, a lack of aquiferous pores in the cornea, eyes covered with a transparent cornea, and a photophore on the ink sac. The species is classified in the order Myopsida because of its shared characteristic of a corneal membrane.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.tolweb.org/Australiteuthis_aldrichi Tree of Life web project: ''Australiteuthis aldrichi''] *[http://www.tolweb.org/notes/?note_id=3153 ''Australiteuthis aldrichi'': Description continued] {{Taxonbar|from=Q2182667}}
Category:Myopsida <!-- Category:Animals described in 2005 moved to species name redirect --> Category:Monotypic cephalopod genera Category:Cephalopods of Australia