Taningia silasii

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Species

Why in news?

Researchers of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi, discovered a new species of deep-sea squid from the Arabian Sea.

Scientific name – Taningia silasii (Indian octopus squid)
It is the 2^nd confirmed species of the globally rare genus Taningia, , Taningia danae (Atlantic waters) was the other known species.
Family – Octopoteuthidae (octopus squids)
Location – Arabian Sea, approximately 390 m depth off Kollam coast, Kerala.
Honor – Named after noted marine biologist E. G. Silas, former Director of CMFRI.
Size – It is 45 cm in length, whereas, the members of this family can also attain large sizes - with the Atlantic species growing up to 2.3 metres in length and weighing approximately 61.4 kg.

Unique feature –

No tentacles – Adults of this species are known for their distinctive absence of tentacles, though they are true deep-sea squids (has eight arms and lacks the two long tentacles).
Morphological differences – From T. danae include having fewer gill lamellae (26 compared to 38-44), an oval-shaped funnel-mantle locking cartilage, and distinct lower beak morphology.
Genetic Divergence – DNA barcoding revealed 11% genetic difference from Atlantic Ocean lineages of Taningia danae, confirming it as a distinct species.

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