First record of Pickfordiateuthis vossi Brackoniecki, 1996 (Myopsida, Loliginidae) early life stages in the central Mexican Pacific

Abstract

The grass squid Pickfordiateuthis vossi Brakoniecki, 1996 is a dwarf species distributed along the northwest coast of Mexico. In the eastern Pacific, little is known about its distribution and life cycle. Two specimens, which are considered the smallest individuals of the genus collected to date, were caught in zooplankton trawls during 2 oceanographic cruises (January and March 1998) carried out in the central Mexican Pacific. The paralarval and juvenile stages are described and represent a new record in the area, with a range extension of 600 km southwest from the nearest previous record.