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

Abstract

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.