New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts

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First records of egg masses of Nototodarus gouldi McCoy, 1888 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae), with comments on egg-mass susceptibility to damage by fisheries trawl

Steve O’Shea
Kathrin S. Bolstad

Earth and Oceanic Sciences Research Institute
Auckland University of Technology
Private Bag 92 006
Auckland 1020, New Zealand
email: steve.oshea@aut.ac.nz

Peter A. Ritchie

Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution
Massey University
Private Bag 102 904 North Shore
Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract  The egg mass and embryos of the ommastrephid squid Nototodarus gouldi McCoy, 1888 are reported for the first time, their identity confirmed by mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequence determination. The egg mass is a free-floating gelatinous sphere of at least 1.5 m diameter and contains an estimated several thousand randomly distributed eggs; similar egg masses recorded from north-eastern New Zealand waters of 1.0-2.0 m diameter are reported. Observed fluctuations in populations for this and other squid species may be a partial result of trawl damage to the egg masses.

Keywords  Nototodarus; Cephalopoda; Ommastrephidae; egg mass; trawling

Z03030; Received 24 July 2003; accepted 3 November 2003; Online publication date 12 May 2004
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2004, Vol. 31: 161-166
0301-4223/04/3102-0161 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2004

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