Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Helicocranchia

Helicocranchia is a genus of small glass squids from the family Cranchiidae, known as piglet squid. They are characterized by possessing a very large funnel and in having a pair of small paddle-like fins which are attached to a part of the gladius which sits above the muscular mantle. These squid undergo a slow descent starting near the surface as paralarvae moving down to lower mesopelagic depths as near-adults.

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Aug 1, 2026
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Helicocranchia
Helicocranchia pfefferi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Oegopsida
Family: Cranchiidae
Subfamily: Taoniinae
Genus: Helicocranchia
Massy, 19071
Type species
Helicocranchia pfefferi
Massy, 1907
Species

see text

Synonyms

Ascocranchia Voss, 1962

Helicocranchia is a genus of small glass squids from the family Cranchiidae, known as piglet squid. They are characterized by possessing a very large funnel and in having a pair of small paddle-like fins which are attached to a part of the gladius which sits above the muscular mantle. These squid undergo a slow descent starting near the surface as paralarvae moving down to lower mesopelagic depths as near-adults.2

The genus contains bioluminescent species.3

Species

There are five named species of Helicocranchia, though only three are considered valid:14

  • Helicocranchia joubini (Voss, 1962) - suggested to be nomen dubium
  • Helicocranchia navossae Judkins et al., 2022
  • Helicocranchia papillata (Voss, 1960)
  • Helicocranchia pfefferi Massy, 1907 - synonyms include H. beebei
References

References

  1. Julian Finn (2016). "Helicocranchia Massy, 1907". World Register of Marine Species. Flanders Marine Institute. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  2. Richard E. Young; Katharina M. Mangold (1922-2003) (2017). "Helicocranchia Massy, 1907". The Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved 1 March 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. Herring, Peter J. (1987). "Systematic distribution of bioluminescence in living organisms". Journal of Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence. 1 (3): 147–163. doi:10.1002/bio.1170010303. PMID 3503524.
  4. Judkins, H.; Rose-Mann, L.; Lindgren, A.; Taite, M.; Bush, S.; Vecchione, M. (2022). "A newly discovered Helicocranchia species (Cephalopoda: Cranchiidae: Taoniinae) in the northern Gulf of Mexico" (PDF). Bulletin of Marine Science. 98 (3): 419–430. doi:10.5343/bms.2021.0048.
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