Bay squid 



Lolliguncula brevis 

 Adult 



2 cm 



(from Vecchione et al. 1989) 



Common Name: bay squid 



Scientific Name: Lolliguncula brevis 



Other Common Names: Atlantic brief squid (Turgeon 



et al. 1988), thumbstall squid (Andrews 1981); brief 



squid, short squid, least squid (Bane et al. 1985); 



common gulf squid (Dillion and Dial 1962); calmar 



doigtier (French), calamar dedal (Spanish) (Fischer 



1978). 



Classification (Turgeon et al. 1988) 



Phylum: Mollusca 



Class: Cephalopoda 



Order: Teuthoidea 



Family: Loliginidae 



Value 



Commercial : The bay squid has been neglected as a 

 fishery resource primarily because of its small size 

 (Hixon 1 980b). The low demand for squid and the high 

 cost of capture makes a directed squid fishery in the 

 U.S. Gulf of Mexico financially unfeasible (Hixon et al. 

 1980). Squid sold through commercial fisherman are 

 typically acquired as incidental catch from trawling for 

 shrimp and fish (Fischer 1978, Voss and Brakonieki 

 1984). The larger squid species (Loligo p/e/'/and L 

 pealeii) are the ones usually taken. The bay squid is 

 sometimes sold in Texas supermarkets, but, although 

 edible, is not especially popular as a consumer food 

 (Voss and Brakonieki 1984). This species is some- 

 times used in neurologic research because of the large 

 axon characteristic of the cephalopod molluscs. 



Recreational : Bay squid is often used as bait in off- 

 shore sport fishing (Bane et al. 1985). 



Indicator of Environmental Stress : Bay squid is not 

 typically used as an indicator species in studies of 



environmental stress. 



Ecological : The bay squid is one of the few cephalo- 

 pods that can tolerate estuarine salinities, and is often 

 an abundant pelagic species in estuaries (Dragovich 

 and Kelly 1 967). It consumes shrimp and small fishes 

 and is preyed upon by larger fishes. 



Range 



Overall : The range of the bay squid includes the 

 western Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey, Delaware 

 Bay southward to Florida, throughout the Gulf of Mexico 

 and along the Caribbean mainland, and southward to 

 Rio de la Plata in South America (Voss 1956, Fischer 

 1 978, Hixon 1 980a, Hixon 1 980b, Andrews 1 981 ). It is 

 not known from the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands 

 except Cuba and Curacao (Fischer 1978). 



Within Study Area : Bay squid occur in U.S. Gulf of 

 Mexico estuaries from Rio Grande, Texas, to Florida's 

 Dry Tortugas, and are widely distributed along the Gulf 

 coast during most of the year (Voss and Brakonieki 

 1 984). They are common along the Texas coast during 

 part of the year, but major concentrations determined 

 by catch and observation are on both sides of the 

 Mississippi River delta in waters of high productivity, off 

 the Florida panhandle, and southwest Florida below 

 Tampa (Table 5.05) (Voss and Brakonieki 1984). 



Life Mode 



This is a schooling, mobile, diumally active species that 

 occurs in near-shore waters and in estuaries (Hargis 

 and Hanlon 1984, Vecchione and Roper 1991). Eggs 

 are attached to submerged hard structures and sub- 

 strate, but have also been collected on soft muddy 

 bottoms (Hall 1 970, Forsythe pers. comm.). Paralarvae, 



49 



