First case of possible iteroparity among coleoid cephalopods: the giant warty squid Kondakovia longimana

摘要

Modern teleost fish and coleoid cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopods) share the same ecological niche as meso-and macronektonic predators of the World Ocean. In spite of convergence of their lifestyles (Packard, 1972), some important differences exist between these taxa, one being their respective reproductive patterns, particularly semelparity vs iteroparity. Following Rocha, Guerra, & González (2001) who refined the original definition of iteroparity (Cole, 1954), we use the term iteroparous for species that “spawn once a year, survive, feed, grow and regenerate their gonads for a further reproductive event the following year” (Rocha et al. 2001: 292). Animals that have short lifespans are automatically eliminated from this category regardless of their spawning pattern. This definition restricts the possibility of iteroparity to those few cephalopods that live for many years.