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Two moderately halophilic and psychrotolerant new Mycoplasma species were isolated from common cephalopods. Three strains were isolated in pure culture from two individual European flying squid (Todarodes sagittatus), and two individual octopuses (Octopus vulgaris). The strains showed optimal growth at 25 °C and a salinity of 3% (w/v) NaCl. Molecular analyses revealed that the isolates belonged to two new, but phylogenetically related species, divergent from all previously described Mollicutes, representing the first marine isolates of the class, and also the first Mycoplasma strains for which NaCl requirement has been demonstrated. A genome search against all available marine metagenomes and 16S rRNA gene databases indicated that these two species represent a novel non-free-living marine lineage of Mollicutes, specifically associated with marine animals. Morphology and physiology were compatible with other members of this group, and genomic and phenotypic analyses demonstrated that these organisms represent two novel species of the genus Mycoplasma, for which the names Mycoplasma marinum sp. nov. and Mycoplasma todarodis sp. nov. are proposed; the type strains are PET (DSM 105487T, CIP 111404T) and 5HT (DSM 105,488T, CIP 111405T), respectively., RRM acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Economy project CLG2015_66686-C3-1-P also supported with European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) funds. ASR acknowledges the Gobierno de Canarias (Spain) project P2007/046. RRM acknowledges the financial support of the sabbatical stay at Georgia Institute of Technology supported by the grant PRX18/00048 of the Ministry of Sciences, Innovation and Universities. KTK’s research was supported, in part, by the U.S. National Science Foundation (Award No. 1,759,831).

Few reports exist upon the occurrence and localization of zoonotic anisakid nematodes in T. sagittatus, especially in the mantle of the squid. The occurrence and site of infection of larval anisakids in 98 T. sagittatus caught West off St. Kilda, NE Atlantic Ocean, were investigated. Squids were examined for anisakids using the UV-Press method. In total, 689 nematodes were detected in the viscera and mantle. According to morphology, all the larvae (L3) were assigned to genus Anisakis. Diagnostic allozymes and mtDNA cox2 sequence analysis permitted to genetically identify all larvae as Anisakis simplex (s.s.) (N = 100). Overall prevalence (P = 81%) and mean intensity (mI = 8.6) of infection with A. simplex are provided. Most of the larvae present in the mantle cavity were embedded in the stomach wall or attached in the outer layer of the stomach and caecum (49%). Over a third of squids (37%) hosted A. simplex (s.s.) larvae in the mantle. A novel schematized representation of larvae distribution in the mantle is provided, showing where they were mostly located. According to the results obtained, the risk of anisakiasis associated with consumption of raw or undercooked T. sagittatus should be considered.

We studied the growth of O. vulgaris and the digestibility of two semi-moist diets (50% water) based exclusively on dry and freeze-dried ingredients (Diet S: 20% gelatin, 10% egg yolk powder, 5% Sardinella aurita and 15% Todarodes sagittatus ; and Diet P: the same as the previous diet but substituting T. sagittatus by pea). Both diets had a similar macronutrient composition (70–73% protein DW, 12–13% lipids DW), a firm texture when introduced into the water and good acceptability. Survival was 100% with both diets. The specific feeding rates were also similar for both diets (1.0% body weight/day; P > 0.05), although the best results were obtained with diet S, which was responsible for an absolute growth rate of 9.6 g/day and a feed conversion rate of 1.0, compared with the 2.2 g/day and 3.9 obtained with diet P; P O. vulgaris can be fed with dry or freeze-dried ingredients that have undergone mild heat treatments since they lead to good growth, feed efficiency and digestibility. Future studies on octopus on-growing could use a similar base to that proposed in this paper to obtain diets with better acceptability, stability or nutritional composition for commercial purposes.

8 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables, Squids Illex coindetii and Todarodes sagittatus were collected from commercial trawls in the NW Mediterranean Sea and their stomach contents were analyzed to describe and compare their feeding habits. Fish, crustaceans and squids were found in the stomach contents of both squid species; however T. sagittatus had a wider trophic spectrum composed by fifteen prey items more than I. coindetii. This difference was attributed to the availability of feeding resources in the water column and the larger size and deeper distribution of T. sagittatus. The index of relative importance showed that the crustacean Pasiphaea multidentata was the most important prey for both squids, and that I. coindetii fed secondly on Anchilomera blossevillei, Pasiphaea sivado and the fish Lestidiops sp., while T. sagittatus fed secondly on Phronima sedentaria and the fish Arctozenus risso. The feeding habits of the two squids varied for two prey items at the size interval between 9.1 and 21. cm ML. This difference was due to the presence of the amphipod P. sedentaria and the squid Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii in the stomach contents of T. sagittatus, which are species with deeper distributions. T. sagittatus larger than 21. cm ML preyed on other crustaceans and fish, such as big Pandalidae crustaceans and gadiform fish. Finally, the %FO analysis showed that there were fifteen common prey species in the feeding habits of the two squids, but they did not have the same importance for each squid. I. coindetii fed mainly on Lestidiops sp., Chauliodus sloani and P. multidentata and T. sagittatus fed on A. risso and P. sedentaria. These species correspond to mesopelagic fish, decapod crustaceans and amphipods. This suggests that these species are easy to prey at different levels in the water column, which affects the predation and distribution of I. coindetii and T. sagittatus. © 2013 Elsevier B.V., His doctoral degree is supported by CONACyT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, México). This study was partially funded by the research project CALOCEAN-2 (AGL2012-39077) by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain

Stomach contents of Todarodes sagittatus caught by trawlers working from 100 to 800 m depth in the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean) were studied. From the 348 stomachs examined (153 males and 195 females) 33.62% were empty (39.21% in males and 29.74% in females). The diet of the squid was composed of 58 different prey items belonging to four major groups: Osteichthya, Crustacea, Cephalopoda and Chondrichthya. Osteichthyes, crustaceans and cephalopods were the most common prey, with a frequency of occurrence value of 84.85, 48.92 and 29.87% respectively. A change in the diet as the squid grows was observed, since juveniles feed basically on fishes while adults prey more actively on crustaceans. Analysis of the diet by size-classes reflected an ontogenetic migration to deeper waters since, parallel to the increase of size, a raise in the percentage of prey species inhabiting deeper waters was detected. Cannibalism was quite frequent, since T. sagittatus was the second most common cephalopod prey. Females had higher fullness-weight index and lower emptiness index than males, which reflects their major energetic demand for egg production.

A total of 206 specimens of the ommastrephid squid Todarodes sagittatus, obtained from three areas of the central eastern Atlantic (Canary Islands/African coast, Madeira, and the Gettysburg Bank area south of Portugal) were examined. New information on size, mass, length-mass relationships, reproductive biology, and diet of the squid from a hitherto not very well studied area is supplied. Females dominated the samples (78%) and attained larger size and mass than males. Dorsal mantle lengths of T. sagittatus in the Canary Islands/African coast samples and in the Madeira region were similar, 167 – 348 mm for females and 175 – 269 mm for males. From the Gettysburg Bank all specimens were immature, females ranging between 71 and 276 mm and males from 98 to 233 mm. Mature females were found mainly during winter and mature males nearly year-round, indicating that they mature earlier than females and at a smaller size. Prey consisted mainly offish (54.9%), decapods (18.8%) and cephalopods (12.1%). Otoliths and f...

Beaks of 133 specimens of Todarodes sagittatus caught in the central East Atlantic were studied. Relationships between several measurements of the upper and lower beaks and dorsal mantle length (DML) and total mass were calculated. The darkening process or pigmentation of both beaks was investigated and a qualitative scale of eight degrees of pigmentation developed. Except for the hood of the lower beak, the growth of both beaks was allometrically negative in relation to DML in males, whereas the growth of several parts of both beaks of females was allometrically positive. The hood grew faster than all other parts of the male beak and faster than all parts of the lower beak of females. Regression coefficients calculated for the growth of the beaks revealed differences between the growth patterns of females and males (p < 0.05). The results relating to darkening and the maturing process suggest that they are related and that they take place over a very short period in the life of the squid.

The warming of Arctic waters over the last decades has been confirmed by the results of numerous studies. New data on distribution of cephalopods in the Arctic were obtained from the research cruises of PINRO (Russia) and IMR (Norway) during 2006-2011. Teuthowenia megalops and Todaropsis eblanae were found in the Arctic for the first time, at distances of more than 1000 km and 2500 km outside of their ranges, respectively. The demersal species T. eblanae inhabiting the lower shelf and upper continental slope has presumably spread into the Barents Sea by the eastern branch of the Norwegian Current, and further by the southern branch of the North Cape coastal current, as far as the Murman shelf. The bathypelagic species T. megalops is carried to the Arctic evidently by the deep-water warm Atlantic Currents. The new spreading areas of both species are obviously the non-reproductive zones of their ranges. Foraging shoals of Todarodes sagitatus were recorded in the Arctic in 2010 for the first time in the last 25 years, which can be related to not only the warming of Arctic waters, but also the fluctuation of Todarodes levels in the main part of the range in the Northern Atlantic. The native Arctic species Gonatus fabricii has expanded its range to the eastern part of the Barents Sea and to the adjacent part of the Kara Sea. In these areas of Arctic waters, warming is particularly noticeable and the ongoing climatic changes are leading to boreal cephalopods spreading into the Polar Basin. This may impact species relations in vulnerable Arctic ecosystems. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Cephalopod International Advisory Council (CIAC) Symposium 2012: "Interdisciplinary approaches to cephalopod biology", 27 October - 02 November 2012, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, Illex coindetii and Todarodes sagittatus squid cached by commercial trawls in the Western Mediterranean Sea during 2010-2012 were used to describe and compare their feeding behavior. A total of 121 I. coindentii and 161 T. sagittatus stomach contents were analyzed. Crustacean and Fish were the main prey items in both species and mollusks were observed. Pasiphaeidae and Amphipoda crustaceans were identified in 33.88 and 9.09 % of I. coindetii and 18 and 25 % of T. sagittatus and 18 different otoliths were recovered for 59.5% of I. coindetii while 22 in 54.27% T. sagittatus, Paralepididae and Myctophidae were observed as fish prey items but the most prevalent item for both species in frequency and abundance was Paralepididae. According to the Importance Relative Index the main prey items for both species were the crustacean Pasiphaea multidentata, and the amphipod Anchylomera blosseville which were present in the feeding behavior of both squid species. I. coindetii showed a preference for Lestidiops sp. while Arctozenus risso was preferred by T. sagittatus, and the same in crustaceans where I. cooindetii diet was integrated by P. multidentata, A. blossevillei, and Pasiphaea sivado while in T. sagittatus was integrated by P. multidentata, Phronima sedentaria, A. blossevillei, Decapoda, Phrosina semilunata and others. Teuthida was the main prey item group in mollusks and it appears that the cannibalism is not a common tendency in both species, however other squid species were present and T. sagittatus fed on Histeoteuthis reversa, Ancistroteuthis linchtensteinii and I. coindetii while I. coindetii on Todaropsis eblanae, T. sagittatus, and Loligo forvesii. Both predators fed substantially on crustaceans and fish but T. sagittatus fed on a wider range of prey items (21 crustacean and 22 fish species) than I. coindetii (8 crustacean and 18 fish), suggesting that T. sagittatus is a more generalized predator than I. coindetii and the competition for food resources appears low between both species as result of a different diet composition

A study was carried out on the presence of Anisakis and Hysterothylacium larvae in fish and cephalopods caught in Sardinian waters. A total of 369 specimens of 24 different species of teleosts and 5 species of cephalopods were collected from different fishing areas of Sardinia. Larvae were detected and isolated by both visual inspection and enzymatic digestion. These methods allowed Anisakis type I and type II third-stage larvae and Hysterothylacium third-and fourth-stage larvae to be detected. The prevalence, mean intensity, and mean abundance were calculated. The results obtained showed the highest prevalence of Anisakidae in Zeus faber (100%) and of Anisakis in Micromesistius poutassou (87.5%). The highest prevalence of Anisakis type I larvae was in M. poutassou (81.2%), and that of Anisakis type II larvae was in Todarodes sagittatus (20%). The highest values for prevalence, mean intensity, and mean abundance for Hysterothylacium were found in Z. faber. These prevalences and the mean intensity and abundance were higher than those reported by different authors in other Mediterranean areas. This may be because the enzymatic digestive method used in this research resulted in higher recovery levels. The data suggest that Sardinia may be a high-risk area for zoonotic diseases and that measures such as information campaigns, aimed at both sanitary service personnel and consumers, should be employed to limit the spread of such zoonosis. Copyright © International Association for Food Protection.

The stomachsof 23 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba Meyen, 1833, Cetacea), stranded along the Ligurian coast (western Mediterranean Sea), contained 32 species of cephalopods, crustaceans and fishes, totalling an estimated 2,723 prey specimens representing about 36 kg in weight. Cephalopods and bony fishes were equally important in the diet (50%). Todarodes sagittatus (34.5%) and Micromesistius poutassou (25.9%) were found to be the most important food species. Other species belonging to six cephalopod families, three crustacean families and nine bony fish families, contributed to the diet with variable numbers, weights, and occurrences, demonstrating the opportunistic character of striped dolphin feeding.

Age and growth of Todarodes sagittatus were estimated based on statolith analysis from individuals (N=352; 81-418 mm mantle length) caught by bottom trawlers during a year of sampling in the western Mediterranean. The daily nature of statolith increments was indirectly validated comparing the mean age of consecutive monthly modes (identified on the monthly length-frequency distributions) with the corresponding increase of 30 days. In agreement with other ommastrephids, results confirmed the following points: (1) lifespan lasts nearly a year; (2) growth rates decrease with age; (3) when adult, females have higher growth rates than males; and (4) females mature about a month later than males. Significant correlation was found between hatching (which occurred throughout the year but with a peak in November) and temperature at 50 m depth (where it is thought that hatchlings inhabit). Age and growth results were compared with those obtained in a similar work carried out in north-west Africa (Arkhipkin et al., 1999). Comparisons suggested that due to higher growth rates in juveniles, southern populations reach maturity and consequently decrease somatic growth at younger ages and smaller sizes than northern squid, which attain larger sizes as a result of maintaining fast growth and delaying maturation. Greater growth rates in juveniles from west Sahara could be explained by higher temperatures in this area than in the Mediterranean.

Aberrant statolith microstructure was observed in an immature female of the squid Todarodes sagittatus (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) caught in the Moroccan shelf. The paralarval statolith, (a central part of adult statolith that developed at paralarval stage), showed the first 12 growth increments outside the nucleus was reversed to the posterior side of the adult statolith, and its main axis was turned perpendicularly to the main axis of the adult statolith. However, further statolith growth followed the common pattern, and the statolith acquired its normal shape at the level of 55–60 growth increments. Such aberrance in a direction of the paralarval statolith can be explained by its complete detachment from the macula statica princeps (MSP) during strong impact to the head of the paralarva (e.g. by a predator) and further occasional re-attachment of the statolith to the MSP again.

An extensive set of data related to the binding of O2 by He from the squid Todarodes sagittatus has been collected under various experimental conditions. The results obtained show that, within the range of physiological pH, the concentration of protons affects mainly the high-affinity state o f the molecule without significantly affecting the low-affinity state. As far as the effect of temperature is concerned, the data show a characteristic feature which is very similar to that previously described in the case of Hbs from arctic mammals such as reindeer and musk ox (1-4). The shape o f the O2 equilibrium curve shows strong temperature dependence, since the overall heat of binding of O2 to the low-affinity state of the molecule is strongly exothermic, while that to the highaffinity state is very close to zero.

Light and electron microscopy of the white body of Todarodes sagittatus and of the bone marrow of Rattus rattus have revealed certain similarities between the cells of the leucocyte series in a Cephalopod and those of the granulocyte series in a Mammal. These similatrities are also due to active protein synthesis in their cytoplasm. The series studied can be assigned to “the cells of activesynthesis having an irreversible course”.

Growth is described from size-at-age data. Size-at-age was determined from counts of daily growth rings on the statoliths of 65 individuals. A mean growth rate of 2 mm/day was calculated for a dorsal mantle length range of 15-52 cm. The month in which each individual hatched was back-calculated from the age data. A histogram of the frequency of hatching through the year is presented and shows peaks in May and October.

Four squid species from around Scotland and in the northern North Sea were examined for larval ascaridoid nematodes maturing in warm-blooded vertebrates. A larval contracaecinean (possibly Contracaecum osculatum) in Loligo forbesi, and Anisakis simplex L in L. forbesi, Alloteuthis media and Todaropsis eblanae are recorded, apparently for the first time. Neither of the inshore neritic myopsids L. forbesi and A. media appears to be an important host of Anisakis simplex L3. The oceanic oegopsid Todarodes sagittatus showed the highest A. simplex L3 burdens; whilst the general pattern of infection in this species was similar to that of teleost fish in the northern North Sea, the density of infection was lower. The possible significance of L3 in squid for the population dynamics of A. simplex is discussed. Larval ascaridoid nematodes in squid may have no public health significance in the U.K.

10 pages, 9 figures, 6 tables, [EN] A total of 346 individuals (152 males and 194 females) of Todarodes sagittatus caught by commercial trawlers working down to 800 m in the Balearic Sea (Western Mediterranean) was studied. Data are presented on size frequency distributions, length-weight relationships, and relationships between mantle length and various measurements of the beak. Some aspects of the reproductive biology (maturity and gonad development) were also determined. Reproductive period could be situated in the second half of the year, since the number of mature individuals was maximum from July to October for males and from September to December for females. The sex ratio was found to be significantly different from 1:1 only outside this second semester. No individual appeared in hauls performed below 100 m depth and the greatest frequency of appearance was between depths of 400 and 800 m. All mature females were caught deeper than 500 m, indicating that spawning could take place from this depth. The mean mantle length increased with depth, suggesting a possible ontogenic migration, [ES] Se han estudiado un total de 346 individuos (152 machos y 194 hembras) de Todarodes sagittatus procedentes de barcos arrastreros que faenan hasta 800 m de profundidad en el Mar Balear (Mediterráneo occidental). Han sido analizadas las distribuciones de talla, la relación talla-peso y las relaciones de varias medidas del pico respecto a la longitud total del manto. Se han determinado también algunos aspectos de la biología reproductiva, como la madurez y el desarrollo gonadal. El período reproductor podría situarse en el segundo semestre del año, ya que el número de individuos maduros fue máximo de julio a octubre para los machos y de septiembre a diciembre para las hembras. Solamente fuera de este segundo semestre la proporción de sexos difirió significativamente de 1:1. No apareció ningún individuo en los lances efectuados por encima de los 100 m, y la mayor frecuencia de aparición se encontró entre los 400 y 800 m de profundidad. La totalidad de las hembras maduras fueron capturadas por debajo de los 500 m, lo cual parece indicar que la puesta tiene lugar a partir de esta profundidad. Se ha observado que la talla media del manto aumenta con la profundidad, indicando una posible migración ontogénica, This study was carried out within the framework of the project ‘Discards of the Western Mediterranean trawl fleets’ (Contract ref. DG-XIV, MED/94/027)