Illex oxygonius

Sharptail shortfin squid Illex oxygonius
Dorsal aspect
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Cephalopoda
Order:	Teuthida
Family:	Ommastrephidae
Subfamily:	Illicinae
Genus:	Illex
Species:	I. oxygonius
Binomial name
Illex oxygonius Roper, Lu & Mangold 1969

Illex oxygonius, commonly known as the sharptail shortfin squid, is a species of neritic squids in the family Ommastrephidae. Of the species of the genus Illex, they have the most restricted range, being found only in the western North Atlantic Ocean; from off New Jersey, south to the Straits of Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico. They are very difficult to distinguish from Illex coindetii and Illex illecebrosus, with which their geographic range overlaps. The most obvious difference of I. oxygnius is their sharper fin angles of 25° to 40° (hence their common name). There is also the possibility that they may be a hybrid of I. coindetii and I. illecebrosus.^[1][2]

References

1. Michael Vecchione, Clyde F. E. Roper, & Richard E. Young (2011). "Illex oxygonius Roper, Lu & Mangold 1969". The Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
2. Michael Vecchione, Clyde F.E. Roper, & Michael J. Sweeney (February 1989). "Marine Flora and Fauna of the Eastern United States. Mollusca: Cephalopoda". NOAA Technical Report NMFS 73 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration & National Marine Fisheries Service).