Australiteuthis aldrichi

Australiteuthis aldrichi
Holotype of Australiteuthis aldrichi
(21.3 mm ML)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Teuthida
Suborder: Myopsina
Family: Australiteuthidae
Lu, 2005
Genus: Australiteuthis
Species: A. aldrichi
Binomial name
Australiteuthis aldrichi
Lu, 2005

Australiteuthis aldrichi is a small species of squid from northern Australian waters. It was described by Chung Cheng Lu in 2005 based on specimens collected in inshore waters of Northern Australia. The largest known individual of this species is a mature female measuring 27.6 mm in mantle length (ML). The holotype is a mature male of 21.3 mm ML. A. aldrichi has never been seen alive. It is the only member of the genus Australiteuthis and the family Australiteuthidae.

A. aldrichi is characterised by several unique morphological features. It has an unusual funnel locking apparatus which contains a boomerang-shaped groove. Its fins are separated from each other and possess posterior lobes. The ink sac contains a dumbbell-shaped photophore.

The species is named after Frederick Allen Aldrich (1927–1991), a prominent teuthologist and former Moses Harvey Professor of Marine Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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