Helicocranchia
| Helicocranchia | |
|---|---|
| Helicocranchia pfefferi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Oegopsida |
| Family: | Cranchiidae |
| Subfamily: | Taoniinae |
| Genus: | Helicocranchia Massy, 1907 |
| Type species | |
| Helicocranchia pfefferi Massy, 1907 | |
| Species | |
|
see text | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Ascocranchia Voss, 1962 | |
Helicocranchia is a genus of small glass squids from the family Cranchiidae, known as piglet squid. They are characterized by possessing a very large funnel and in having a pair of small paddle-like fins which are attached to a part of the gladius which sits above the muscular mantle. These squid undergo a slow descent starting near the surface as paralarvae moving down to lower mesopelagic depths as near-adults.
The genus contains bioluminescent species.