Description
Cephalopod mollusc with a stout and elongated body, with eight arms and two longer tentacles equipped with suction disks. It differs from the squid because it has much smaller fins attached to the tail. It is reddish in colour, darker on the back.
Pelagic and neritic species, occurring between surface waters and depths of up to 800 m. It performs daily vertical migrations, climbing along the water column and on surface waters at night and going to deeper depths during the day. It also seems to be capable of horizontal migrations approaching the coast in summer and deep waters during the winter months.
Its length is 27 cm (females) and 20 cm (males); most commonly it can attain lengths between 15 and 22 cm.
It has a spawning season that lasts all year.
It is captured with different gear: Dragnet and fixed gillnets.
Its flesh is very rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and minerals, such as sodium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and vitamin A.