For all its involvement in biological research for the past century, Loligo has proven to be a difficult animal to raise in captivity. Much of the reason has to do with the very small size of the hatchlings at birth. Other cephalopods, such as the squid Sepioteuthis (See et al 1994) and the cuttlefish, Sepia (Forsythe et al 199_), have relatively large and well-developed young at birth. These larger juveniles accept are easier to feed and proceed quickly to larger and more robust stages of development rapidly. Locating the proper food items for a young Loligo pealei is difficult. Many marine invertebrates have very complex development stages, requiring different foods to meet specific metabolic needs, often at very specific times in the development sequence. Loligo pealei culture is still not easily accomplished despite the efforts that have been made over the years. (Hanlon et al 19__)
The development of the embryo has continued to be studied as a model of embryonic development of the eye, the nervous system, birth defects, neurological disorders, toxicology, and other subjects of biomedical interest.
Researchers studying development of the squid often use a 30-stage development scheme (Arnold 1965) to describe the process from first cleavage to hatching. This 30-stage scheme has been applied and extended to other cephalopods for compartive experimentation. These steps have been chosen to distinguish the appearance of features or events that are of interest to developmental biologists. Arnold's original sketches of these 30 stages have been reproduced here with permission and sequenced to create a short, looping animation.
Brooks, W.K. 1880, The Development of the Squid, Loligo pealii (Lesueur), Anniversery Memoirs of The Boston Society of Natural History
Arnold J.M., 1965, Normal embryonic stages of the squid, Loligo pealei (Lesueur), Biological Bulletin 28: 24-32
For all its involvement in biological research for the past century, Loligo has proven to be a difficult animal to raise in captivity. Much of the reason has to do with the very small size of the hatchlings at birth. Other cephalopods, such as the squid Sepioteuthis (See et al 1994) and the cuttlefish, Sepia (Forsythe et al 199_), have relatively large and well-developed young at birth. These larger juveniles accept are easier to feed and proceed quickly to larger and more robust stages of development rapidly. Locating the proper food items for a young Loligo pealei is difficult. Many marine invertebrates have very complex development stages, requiring different foods to meet specific metabolic needs, often at very specific times in the development sequence. Loligo pealei culture is still not easily accomplished despite the efforts that have been made over the years. (Hanlon et al 19__)