An onto-phylogenetic journey through the life history of flying squids (cephalopodaommastrephidae)

Resumo

Flying squids develop all its life cycle in the water column, as planktonic paralarvae and then as nektonic subadults and adults. In this Ph. D. Thesis, light was shed over several poorly understood aspects of the ontogeny and phylogeny of the Family Ommastrephidae. The mechanism of sperm migration from spermatangia to the female seminal receptacles was studied. Spermatozoa are able to actively migrate between both structures. The morphology of the hatchling of three Mediterranean ommastrephid species was studied based on embryos obtained by in vitro fertilization and a dichotomous key was develop to identify NE Atlantic species. The first feeding diet of paralarvae was assessed through laser-capture microdissection and DNA metabarcoding. The results indicate an ontogenetic shift from detritivorism to active predation. Molecular data indicate that the taxonomic name Ommastrephes bartramii actually hides four biological species. These advances in scientific knowledge have potential applications for a better understanding of the ecology, physiology, biodiversity and fishery science that will foster a deeper understanding of flying squids.