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.
The genus contains bioluminescent species.Species
There are three species of Helicocranchia:
- Helicocranchia joubini
- Helicocranchia papillata
- Helicocranchia pfefferi Massy, 1907
