Argentine shortfin squid
Illex argentinus, commonly known as the Argentine shortfin squid is a species of squid in the family Ommastrephidae from the south western Atlantic Ocean.
It is one of the most commercially fished species of squid, with 511,087 tons harvested in 2002, or 23.3% of the entire squid harvest.
Illex argentines is most prevalent along the coasts of South America, in Brazil and Argentina. They are some of the most sought after squid species, as some of the largest fisheries in the world are along these coasts, capturing millions of pounds of these shortfin squid a year. Although they are relatively small species, they tend to form dense communities, making them easy to be caught by fisheries by the ton.
Argentine shortfin squid can live in a variety of depths, ranging from the surface all the way to 800 m. Although the argentine shortfin squid has a wide geographic distribution, it is an oceanic species, as they aggregate on the sea floor. They feed on other species of squid, pelagic crustaceans and crabs, shrimp, and other small fish. Throughout the lifetime of an argentine shortfin squid, many different prey of different sizes are eaten. On the other hand, predators of the argentine shortfin squid include marine mammals, fishes, and birds. Predators and prey depend on the geographic location of the species of the argentine shortfin squid, as they are a migratory species. The wide variety of prey and predators reflects this. During the fall and winter months, the argentine shortfin squid is abundant on the lower shelf of the sea, at a depth of about 200 m.
