ANCISTROCHEIRIDAE PFEFFER, 1912

Fernández-Álvarez, Fernando Á, Taite, Morag, Vecchione, Michael, Villanueva, Roger & Allcock, A Louise, 2022, A phylogenomic look into the systematics of oceanic squids (order Oegopsida), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 194 (4), pp. 1212-1235 : 1228

FAMILY ANCISTROCHEIRIDAE PFEFFER, 1912

(ONE SPECIES)

D i a g n o s i s: M e d i u m t o l a r g e a d u l t - s i z e d Enoploteuthoidea with photophores embedded in muscles of the tentacles; photophores on the surface of the mantle with two different sizes and geometrical assemblages, the large ones on the ventral and lateral surfaces of the mantle usually following the pattern 4+2+4+2+4+2+4; without visceral and ocular photophores; with hooks on all arms; tentacular clubs with hooks in two series on manus, suckers absent from manus, dactylus reduced, with a terminal pad; nuchal folds present; digestive gland located far posterior to the nuchal cartilage; nidamental glands present, oviducts equally developed; no hectocotylus, but males with additional photophores in ventrolateral arms.

Remarks: Although a single species is currently recognized, our data (F. A. Fernández-Álvarez, pers. obs.) suggest that at least three molecularly divergent species occur within this family. Our specimen, therefore, is currently unidentified at the species level ( Table 1 ).