science

Ommastrephinae

Ommastrephinae is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ommastrephinae rather than just read about it. In short: Ommastrephinae is a subfamily of squids under the family Ommastrephidae. Description Ommastrephinae includes the largest species of squids belonging to the family Ommastrephidae, Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) which can grow to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in mantle length (ML).

Key takeaways

Ommastrephinae belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ommastrephinae to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ommastrephinae from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ommastrephinae is a subfamily of squids under the family Ommastrephidae.

Description Ommastrephinae includes the largest species of squids belonging to the family Ommastrephidae, Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) which can grow to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in mantle length (ML). It also contains the smallest squid species belonging to the family, the glass squid (Hyaloteuthis pelagica) which has a mantle length of only up to 9 cm (3.5 in). Ommastrephinae are mostly pelagic members of the family Ommastrephidae. Some species of the subfamily (notably Sthenoteuthis and Ommastrephes) are known for their behavior of leaping out of the water (hence the common name 'flying squid').

Taxonomy The name of the subfamily, like the family itself and the type genus Ommastrephes, comes from Greek ὄμμα ('eye') and -strephes ('rolling'). They were first described by H.J. Posselt in 1891.

List of genera Nine species of squids are recognized in the subfamily Ommastrephinae, divided among five genera:

Genus Dosidicus Dosidicus gigas, Humboldt squid, jumbo flying squid or jumbo squid Genus Eucleoteuthis Eucleoteuthis luminosa, striped squid or luminous flying squid Genus Hyaloteuthis Hyaloteuthis pelagica, glass squid or glassy flying squid Genus Ommastrephes Ommastrephes bartramii, neon flying squid or red flying squid Ommastrephes brevimanus Ommastrephes caroli Ommastrephes cylindraceus Genus Sthenoteuthis Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis, purpleback squid or purpleback flying squid Sthenoteuthis pteropus, orangeback squid or orangeback flying squid

References

External links Ommastrephinae at the Tree of Life web project.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ommastrephinae

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ommastrephinae claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ommastrephinae before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ommastrephinae ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ommastrephinae

In research: Ommastrephinae appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ommastrephinae in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ommastrephinae is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Gliding animals, Ommastrephidae, Ommastrephinae, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ommastrephinae outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ommastrephinae in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ommastrephinae means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ommastrephinae out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ommastrephinae in simple terms?

Ommastrephinae is a subfamily of squids under the family Ommastrephidae. Description Ommastrephinae includes the largest species of squids belonging to the family Ommastrephidae, Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) which can grow to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in mantle length (ML).

Why does Ommastrephinae matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ommastrephinae?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ommastrephinae.