CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Distribution range of squid

Distribution of squid

Cuttlefish are distributed in all oceans of the world, mainly living in shallow coastal waters in tropical and temperate zones, often migrating to deeper waters in winter. Common cuttlefish breed in spring and summer, laying about 100 to 300 eggs.

There are many types of squid in China. The East China Sea is rich in Man's needleless squid (Sepiella maindroni), which is abundant in the southern coast of Zhejiang and the coast of Fujian; Taiwan squid (Loligo formosana),

It is distributed in the Shanpengmo sea area south of the Taiwan Strait, the sea off Shantou and the Beibu Gulf or Dou as spawning grounds.

Cuttlefish species question

In the vast East China Sea, there lives a creature that swims like a fish, but it is not a fish. People usually call it "cuttlefish", "squid" or "mullet". It is one of the famous seafood in my country. In Zhejiang, it is collectively called the "four major economic fishes" along with large yellow croaker, small yellow croaker and hairtail, and is deeply loved by consumers.

Cuttlefish not only tastes fresh and crisp, but also has high protein content, high nutritional value, and rich medicinal value. Dried cuttlefish and mung bean stew soup can improve eyesight and reduce internal heat. The scientific name of "squid plate" is "squid bone", which is also a commonly used medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine, called "sea octopus". However, the famous "cuttlefish" is like a fish but not a fish. It does not have the basic characteristics of fish (such as bones, scales, fins, etc.). Why is it called a "fish"? Which category does it belong to? Let's observe from the perspective of biological taxonomy and we will naturally understand. Our biologists and aquatic experts classify it as a shellfish. At this point, people can't help but ask, it doesn't look like the shellfish we usually see? For example, mud clams, razor clams, clams, mussels, abalone, snails, etc., all have single or double shells on the outside. The appearance of these shellfish is very different from it. It should be classified as "four-unlike" and cannot be classified! Don't worry, please continue reading.

Cuttlefish is a large carnivorous mollusk. The reason why it is different from ordinary shellfish is due to its evolutionary process. Common shellfish carry heavy shells on their backs, bury themselves in mudflats, crawl on rocks, or attach themselves to fixed objects with their foot threads, waiting to filter tiny floating plants and animals. Their range of activities is very small and their movement speed is very slow. In order to take the initiative to prey on high-nutrition food, cuttlefish need a larger space for activities. Therefore, after a long evolutionary process, their appearance has changed a lot. In order to adapt to swimming, its body gradually becomes oval and flat on the back; its shell degenerates into a small calcareous boat plate, which is wrapped by an increasingly developed mantle to form a body; when it moves quickly, it does not have the swinging function of the tail fin of fish, so it uses the hydraulic principle to eject a stream of water from its mouth to propel its body forward, and its swimming speed can exceed that of ordinary fish in an instant; especially when it encounters enemies, it not only moves in the opposite direction like a rocket, but also releases "smoke bombs" to spray "ink" from its ink sac to create a barrier, confuse the opponent, and then escape; and the "ink" contains toxins that can be used to paralyze enemies and play a strong role in defending against enemies. However, this "ink" needs to be stored for a long time, so the cuttlefish will not easily spray "ink" unless it is in a very critical moment. Usually, when the cuttlefish roams, it generally relies on the fleshy wings on both sides and the head and arms to move forward. It is both a "two-way athlete" and a "reverse sprinter". Isn't it weird?

Because it swims like a fish and has an ink sac in its abdominal cavity, coastal fishermen call it "cuttlefish", which is its common name; and it is classified as a shellfish in taxonomy, which has a scientific basis. The basic structure of shellfish is: the body is soft, unsegmented or pseudo-segmented, usually composed of five parts: head, foot, trunk (visceral sac), mantle, and shell; except for the bivalve, there are jaws and radula in the mouth; the nervous system includes ganglia, nerve cord and a nerve ring around the esophagus; the body cavity retreats to the pericardium. Based on this, cuttlefish is of course a shellfish, it belongs to the phylum Mollusca, class Cephalopoda, order Decapoda, family Sepiidae. It has three genera (Golden Sepia: There are 9 species including Golden Sepia; Needleless Sepia: There is only one species of Needleless Sepia in my country, Zhejiang has the largest production; Metasepia: There is Metasepia Tussui). The "cuttlefish" or "squid" that we Wenzhou people refer to are mostly the two species of "Man's needleless squid" and "golden squid" that are mainly produced in the East China Sea. These are their "honorable names". The appearance of the two is not much different, the main difference is: the former has an oval body, is slightly thin, has no bone needles, and the dried product is called "moth worm fish"; the latter has bone needles, and the dried product is called "dried squid". Friends, do you understand now? !